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In my accent is partway between MEH and MAY. When I lived in the Midwest I would say MAY-gen, and now that I live more west I say MEH-gen, or just like Meg with an extra syllable. But it can come out either way and usually it's between the two.

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The last syllable is interesting too. I would normally write it as gən, but the way I usually say it, it lasts too long to really be a schwa. I often say it like gɪn, gɛn, or a cross between gɪn and gɛn, but not really gən unless I'm talking very fast. Usually the second syllable is quite long and a bit more like "gɛn". It's almost never fully on the "gɪn" end of the spectrum.
It almost has two stressed syllables when I say it in normal speech? Like I still consider 'Meg' to be the stressed syllable but the 'gan' isn't exactly unstressed. I'd only use gən when talking fast or in instances like shouting someone's name to get their attention, and I only have enough air to emphasize the one syllable (MEG'n). The way I usually say it where a lot if time is spent on both syllables seems extra American to me, almost drawly. I don't really have a 'drawl' kind of accent, but with Megan it comes out that way. It's more of a schwa in my head when I read it vs. when I say it.

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I would only think MEE-gan if it's spelled Meagan, and even then I'd think "it looks like MEE-gan but it's probably not meant to sound that way" before saying it out loud. I'd probably read Meagan more like MAY-gan. I've never actually met a MEE-gan. To me, MAY-gan and MEH-gan are the same pronunciation with slightly different accents, but MEE-gan is a whole different thing.

This message was edited 3/3/2024, 6:25 PM