Because zed is the British pronunciation and zee is predominantly American, zed represents one of the few occasions when most Canadians prefer the British pronunciation to the American pronunciation. 4
Is Z pronounced zed or zee?
Not only the British pronounce “z” as “zed”. The vast majority of the English-speaking world does this. The main exception, of course, is the United States, where “z” is pronounced “zee”. The British and others pronounce “z”, “zed” because of the origin of the letter “z”, the Greek letter “zeta”.
Why do we say zee instead of zed?
Much of our modern alphabet descends directly from the Greek alphabet, including a letter similar to our “Z” which the Greeks called “Zeta”. “Zeta” evolved into French “zede” which in turn gave us “zed” because English was influenced by Romance languages like French.
Do kiwis say zee or zed?
Pronounced “Zed” out loud, not “Zee”: NZ.
Why is Z pronounced like Zee?
The pronunciation comes from Latin and Greek, as both ancient languages have an equivalent pronounced the same: zeta. While the more established zed has a logically meaningful etymology, why Z is pronounced zee in the United States is a bit more pragmatic. 18
How do the British pronounce Z?
In short, the British pronounce “Z” as /zɛd/ (zed), while the Americans pronounce it as /ziː/ (zee). Note that the same pronunciation is of course also used in the plural: the plural of “Z”, denoted as “Zs”, “Zs” or “zs”, is rendered in the UK as /zɛdz/ (zedz) and /ziːz/ pronounced. (zeez) in the United States.
Why do Indians pronounce Z as Zed?
Z is pronounced like zed in British English because it is derived from the Greek letter zeta, while in American English z is pronounced like zee as in zee tv.
Do Australians pronounce Z like Zed?
Australians follow the British pronunciation of the letter Zas zed. So neither zee nor zut are accepted by most teachers!!
How is Z pronounced in New Zealand?
Z=zed August 7, 2012
Do more people say zed or zee?
The pronunciation zed is more commonly used than zee in Canadian English. English speakers from other Commonwealth countries also prefer the pronunciation zed. 4
Do Australians say zed or zee?
Australians follow the British pronunciation of the letter Zas zed. So neither zee nor zut are accepted by most teachers!!
Why do Americans say zee instead of Z?
Pronunciation really took off in the 1800s when Charles Bradlee wrote the famous Alphabet song and inserted zee in place of zed to rhyme with me, essentially cementing the new pronunciation as the de facto diction for Americans. 18
