25 replies to this topic

[Noctourne Wonderland]

I say most of the world pronounces the last letter of the English alphabet "Zed", but a firend of mine insists it's "Zee". What do you NiGHTS forumers think?

[viperxmns]

If you don't mind me asking, what is the source of saying 'zed'? It's 'zee' for me, and most other English speaking people, I presume..

[Noctourne Wonderland]

If you don't mind me asking, what is the source of saying 'zed'? It's 'zee' for me, and most other English speaking people, I presume..

It comes from the Greek Zeta. Wikipedia is your friend-

In English, the letter's name is zed (pronounced /zɛd/), reflecting its derivation from the Greek zeta (see below). In American English dialects, its name is zee /ziː/, deriving from a late 17th-century English dialectal form. Another English dialectal form is izzard /ˈɪzɚd/, which dates from the mid-18th century and probably derives from the French et zède "and z".[1] This is the predominant form in anglophone South Asia.[citation needed]

Other Indo-European languages pronounce the letter's name in a similar fashion, such as zet in Dutch, German, Romanian and Czech, zède in French, zæt in Danish, zäta in Swedish, zeta in Italian and Spanish, and zê in Portuguese.

In Chinese (Mandarin) pinyin the name of the letter Z is pronounced [tsɛ], although the English zed and zee have become very common.

In the Philippines, it is quite common to hear people pronounce the name of the letter Z as "zay" rhyming with "say".

[Nemoide]

I pronounce it "zee" which is, if nothing else the standard way in the USA.

However I'll admit that "zed" sounds better IMO. And it is they only way the Power Rangers charcter can be referred to as "Lord Z" which sends more menacing when written than "Lord Zed". :P

[InTheNightlight]

I was taught "Zee" but everybody has their own beliefs.

[Lady Spritzy]

Wait- if it came from Zeta, then wouldn't it be Zet? Yeah, V's became W's and J came from I+(pretty much any other vowel, mostly U), but D's and T's stayed the same. (Granted, this is all coming from Latin class.)
Really, I was taught 'Zee', and this is the first I've ever heard of it being pronounced 'Zed'. Then again, I'm pretty blind when it comes to things outside of America (curse you, lack of money, crappy economy, and paranoid border control!).

[Kentilan]

Weird
At school I've always been taught it was "zed" (just like in French). I didn't know some people pronounced "zee"... Though maybe I've already heard it pronounced that way but didn't pay attention.

[Noctourne Wonderland]

Wait- if it came from Zeta, then wouldn't it be Zet? Yeah, V's became W's and J came from I+(pretty much any other vowel, mostly U), but D's and T's stayed the same. (Granted, this is all coming from Latin class.)
Really, I was taught 'Zee', and this is the first I've ever heard of it being pronounced 'Zed'. Then again, I'm pretty blind when it comes to things outside of America (curse you, lack of money, crappy economy, and paranoid border control!).

Say "Zet" with a goofy, nasal accent- viola! Zed!

[JaxTH]

"Zee" for me.

[Bosco]

SFeh Tah or Ssseh Tah...

Spanish...

[Penelopi]

I say "Zee," but I'm American, as my little info to the left says. I think I've heard "Zed" somewhere before, but I can't remember where. I want to say I heard it at school, which from all the foreign language classes and the very wide ethnic diversity here is highly likely.

[TRiPPY]

I'm guilty of saying it both ways.... D:

Like I'll say the alphabet X- Y - zed

But Dragonball Zee

How do you guys pronounce J? Jay or Jai?

[Kentilan]

How do you guys pronounce J? Jay or Jai?

"jay" for me... That's what I was taught.

[Noctourne Wonderland]

I was taught "jay."

[WiNGS.]

See, there's this alphabet song. It's split like this:

A B C D E F G
H I J K LMNOP
Q R S.. T U V
W X, Y and Z

and so on.

And that's how I (and thousands of other kids) would have learned to say "zee," because otherwise the song wouldn't rhyme.
I had been aware of the "zed" pronunciation because I studied French off and on and my father's favorite musical is "My Fair Lady."


As for J, I say jay.

[Noctourne Wonderland]

See, there's this alphabet song. It's split like this:

A B C D E F G
H I J K LMNOP
Q R S.. T U V
W X, Y and Z

and so on.

And that's how I (and thousands of other kids) would have learned to say "zee," because otherwise the song wouldn't rhyme.
I had been aware of the "zed" pronunciation because I studied French off and on and my father's favorite musical is "My Fair Lady."


As for J, I say jay.

Let's corrupt the English language so that we can sing it!

I know the song, and it works, but it baffles me. How does "Zeta" become "Zee"?

[NNR07]

Zee for me, as in 'Zebra'

[Nemoide]

I pronounce "j" as "jay".

Fun fact: in Japan, the terminal "z" in Dragon Ball Z is pronounced "zetto".

[Bosco]

J for me is kinda like Joh tah. Wacko!

[JaxTH]

"Jay" for me...I guess people with a country accent would say "Jai".

[StarsOfCASSiOPEiA]

"Zee" and "Jay" for me.

When seeing the alphabet broken up like that, maybe the letter Z gained the "zee" pronunciation because it rhymed (if you say G is "gee", V is "vee", etc.) and it was easier for little kids to remember. XD

[WiNGS.]

Let's corrupt the English language so that we can sing it!

I know the song, and it works, but it baffles me. How does "Zeta" become "Zee"?

Same way "Alpha" became "A" (ay? eh?) I shouldn't wonder.

[Noctourne Wonderland]

English is too confusing! I say we all just peak-say ig-pay atin-lay!

[iLLViLLAiN]

It's always been Zee for me.

[Penelopi]

J for me is kinda like Joh tah. Wacko!

Oh, yeah, in Spanish it has the sound an English H makes. I always wondered why that was. How is it in the other Romance languages?

Btw, I've always said "Jay."

[Dreamer#96]

I say z as zee, as for J, jay, I couldn't see saying zee as zed , y and ZED,lol