Some words in the English language are spelled differently in the different regions that use the English language. The word “aunty” or “auntie” is one of these words.
Aunty or Auntie – Which is Correct?
Both “aunty” and “auntie” are correct and recognized by various dictionaries. Both terms are used informally to refer to an aunt, which usually means a sister of either parent or spouse of an uncle. It is also used to refer to older women who may not be related to you.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the Cambridge Dictionary, and the Collins Dictionary all recognize both forms of the word: “aunty” and “auntie”.
“Aunty” is the older form of the word. According to Merriam-Webster, the first known use of the word was in 1672. The use of “auntie”, on the other hand, gained popularity in the 1970s.
The word is used to refer to an aunt in an informal setting. The word “aunt” can refer to any of the following: a sister of either parent, a spouse of an uncle, or an older woman who may not be related to you.
Aunty or Auntie in The UK?
Between the two ways to spell the word (“aunty” and “auntie”), “auntie” is the spelling more commonly used in the United Kingdom. This is based on data from books published between 1950- 2019. There has been an increase in the use of both forms, however, since approximately 2005.
While it has been said that “aunty” is the British English variant of the word, data from books that use British English that were published between the years 1950-2019 show otherwise.
Google Ngram Viewer can chart how often both forms of the word are used in a wide range of books. It shows that “auntie” is the form of the word that is more popular in the UK. It also shows that both “aunty” and “auntie” had a significant increase in usage starting from approximately the year 2005.
Aunty or Auntie in The US?
“Auntie” is more commonly used than “aunty” in the United States. Data from books published between 1950-2019 show that both forms of the word increased in popularity starting in the late 90s. However, “auntie” remains significantly more popular than “aunty”.
Using Google Ngram Viewer, we can see that “auntie” is the more popular form of the word in the US. This is based on data from books published between the years 1950-2019 that use American English.
Starting from the late 90s, there has been an increase in usage of both words. However, the use of “auntie” greatly outnumbers that of “aunty”.
Aunty or Auntie Outside The UK and The US?
Outside the UK and the US, the spelling “auntie” is more popular than that of “aunty”.
Google Ngram Viewer is able to tabulate the frequency of usage of both forms of the word in a wide range of books.
Books published in the English language in general between the years 1950-2019 show that “auntie” is more frequently used in areas where books are published in the English language.
Aunty or Auntie in Australia?
“Aunty” is the preferred spelling of the word in Australia, as opposed to “auntie”. Australian English shares many similarities to British English. However, there are some differences between the two, and one difference is that Australians use the spelling “aunty” instead of “auntie.”
Australian English is very similar to British English in terms of spelling and sentence construction. Still, there are some differences between the two.
While Google Ngram Viewer shows that “auntie” is the preferred term in British English, Australians tend to use the term “aunty” more than “auntie”.
Aunty or Auntie in Canada?
In Canada, the spelling “auntie” is preferred over “aunty”, although both are used. Canadian English has similar features to American English and British English, including pronunciation and spelling. One of these similarities is the preference for the term “auntie” over “aunty”.
The variety of the English language used in Canada shares many characteristics with American English and British English, such as pronunciation and spelling. It seems that the term “auntie” is one of these characteristics. Google Ngram Viewer shows that “auntie” is the preferred term in both the UK and the US.
Aunty or Auntie in Hawaii?
“Aunty” is more commonly used than “auntie” in Hawaii. While Hawaii is part of the United States, the preferred spelling of “auntie” is different. In Hawaii, the spelling “aunty” is more popular than that of “auntie”, unlike in the rest of the United States.
Hawaii is one of the fifty states that comprise the United States. It is, then, interesting to note that Hawaii does not generally use the same spelling of “auntie” that the rest of the United States uses.
“Aunty” is the preferred spelling in Hawaii. It is also used as a sign of respect for elder women there.
Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.
