I thought the very same thing until a recent family event in Cape Cod where many second cousins and first once removeds were all trying to figure out the relationships when I noticed "awnt" being somewhat common. I would never say that it was a rhyme with "want" - more like the first syllable in "ontological"

I'm from PEI, and I say "Awnt".

I was at an audition for a tv-movie "mrs. ashboro's cat" which was being filmed here on PEI. One of the lines I was given had the word "aunt" in it twice. Just before I went into the room to read, I was told "make sure you say "ant", because it's supposed to take place in New York."
The first time 'aunt' came up I said "ant". The second time I said "awnt". I didn't get the job.

The very "South East London" Enlglish way to say it is Arnt, (i.e how you would say aren't) with a slightly more nasel "nt".

I'm from Ottawa and I've always said "Awnt" ... to differentiate it from the six-legged insect.

I'm a PEI girl through and through and have always said Aunt as in "want"...I think saying it like "ant" sounds funny to me.

now, don't get me going on the ways to say <i>neither</i> and <i>either</i>.

I've been resocialized into thinking that it should be said "Awnt" as well, but when I moved here with (apparently) a Winnipeg accent, I was told several times that I was wrong for having "ants". In junior high, we had to do an activity sheet of some kind, where words were replaced by little ideograms for homonyms and we had to fill in the blank. I was the only kid in the class to figure out that "Ant" meant "Aunt".

I'm a born and bred Islander and say "awnt." My Ontario bride says "ant." Our kids hear both and it will be interesting to see what they end up going with.

In Australia, we pronounce it more like the British; sounds like 'aren't'. Australians use a 'flat a' for words like this. See http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/broad%20A

I'm from the west mids in the UK and I say "ant" , "antie".

I have Irish parents and growing up I said "Ant" or "Antie" as did all my classmates in Western Quebec. I remember being corrected by my summertime PEI playmates to say "Awnt". After living on PEI for the past 8 years, I find myself joining my husband's pronounciation with "Awnt".

I also have been known to say "some good!", and use an indrawn breath to denote "Yep" so I must be an Islander now...

Most people here in Minnesota say Awnt.

I'm from Winnipeg and I say "ant" and "antie" ... but when I'm talking to Maritimers I use "awnt" just to head off the "wha'?". Interestingly (at least to me) my older daughter says "ant" exclusively while my younger vacillates between the two, also depending on whom she is addressing.

I'm from Saskatchewan and I say "ant". Because of our accent, to me, "awnt" sounds British. ;)

I say 'awnt', probably because my family's straight out of Canada. As a kid I got teased about it a lot and tried to pronounce it like my friends, but couldn't make it work. I can't ignore the 'u'.

I'm from Cape Town, South Africa, and most people round here say it as in "want" - which is pretty much like "awnt".

I noticed above the comment '"awnt" sounds British'.....MMMMM. Do you really think that the English, Scott’s, Welsh and Northern Irish ALL sound the same?

Aunt and ant. This topic is a deader than a doornail. I`m a maritimer living in London. If the Brits saw fit to export their culture around the world why can`t we export er right back? Why? There are some expressions that are used in the maritimes that aren`t used anywhere`s else. Friggen Rights! Boys oh Boys! One of them is tighter-than-a-mouses-hole-stretched-over-a-barrel. Dummer-than-a-sack-full-of-hammers is another. Oh My Land! Landsakes! Consult local poetry collections in the maritimes and (British Library if in U.K.) and get a real flavour for this. Look for George Elliot Clarke. And Mary Dalton.