Do British say zed or zee?

English speakers in other Commonwealth countries also prefer the pronunciation zed. As zed is the British pronunciation and zee is chiefly American, zed represents one of the rare occasions in which most Canadians prefer the British to the American pronunciation.

Why do Brits say zed instead of zee?

The primary exception, of course, is in the United States where “z” is pronounced “zee”. The British and others pronounce “z”, “zed”, owing to the origin of the letter “z”, the Greek letter “Zeta”. This gave rise to the Old French “zede”, which resulted in the English “zed” around the 15th century.

How do you say Z in British?

Remember that Z is known as Zed in British English and Zee in American English.

What countries say zee instead of zed?

In America, there's only one way to pronounce the letter Z: zee, of course. However, head to England, Ireland, or pretty much any other English-speaking country, and you'll find that most natives refer to the same letter as zed.

Why do British people say innit?

'Innit' - usually pronounced that way, usually with a regional accent of some kind, often with a Cockney accent of some kind, often with a Jamaican accent - it's because it's come really from the fashionable use, in London mainly, by the Asian community and the Jamaican community, popularised by Ali G and others.

How to Pronounce Z Letter? (ZED or ZEE) British Vs American Pronunciation

Why do British say bloody?

Bloody. Don't worry, it's not a violent word… it has nothing to do with “blood”.”Bloody” is a common word to give more emphasis to the sentence, mostly used as an exclamation of surprise. Something may be “bloody marvellous” or “bloody awful“. Having said that, British people do sometimes use it when expressing anger…

Why do British say us instead of me?

"Us" for me is common in the north east (of England) particularly Co Durham Land of Prince Bishops. It's just an old English way of speaking. Many people say "us" but if they are writing will use the word "me".

Why is Ralph pronounced Rafe in England?

The emergence of the pronunciation /reɪf/ seems clearly connected with the Great Vowel Shift, since it is around this time that people in Southern and Central England start interchangeably spelling their names both "Ralph" and "Rafe".

Why do British people say leftenant?

According to military customs, a lower ranking soldier walks on the left side of a senior officer. This courtesy developed when swords were still used on the battle field. The lower ranked soldier on the "left" protected the senior officers left side. Therefore, the term leftenant developed.

Is it pronounced zeebra or zebra?

In the US, zebra is pronounced as zee-bruh, so with a long "e". It is interesting to note that the original pronunciation of zebra was with a long "e", the American way so to speak, and was pronounced this way in the UK as well.

Why do Brits pronounce Derby as Darby?

The pronunciation came about because of the famous British inland pirate. When asked what he's looking for inland, he said "Dar be treasure". It's not that neatly divided. Some areas of Britain say darbee, some say derbee.

Why is colonel pronounced weird?

“Colonel” came to English from the mid-16th-century French word coronelle, meaning commander of a regiment, or column, of soldiers. By the mid-17th century, the spelling and French pronunciation had changed to colonnel. The English spelling also changed, and the pronunciation was shortened to two syllables.

How do you pronounce lieutenant in the Royal Navy?

No one can really say why in the British Army the word is pronounced “left-tenant” but it's notable that in the Royal Navy the pronunciation seems half way across the ocean. They drop the “f” and say “le-tenant.”

Why do Brits pronounce St John as Sinjin?

Sinjin is actually an attempt to represent phonetically the now rare name "St. John." As a given-name, "St. John" is sometimes pronounced as [SIN-jin] or [SIN-jun] in the UK.

Why is Ray Fiennes pronounced?

His name is pronounced RAYF FYNZ. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Fiennes shared that he was named after his step-grandfather, who pronounced his name the same way.

What is the British slang for girl?

14. Bird. A word used to describe a woman.

What is the most British thing to say?

Is the word Prat a swear word?

According to Oxford Dictionaries, we started using “prat” to mean idiot in 1960, but before that, it was a 16th century word for buttocks. So when you call someone a prat, you're also calling them an arse. This is another delightful description of someone who's painfully stupid.

What is loo in British slang?

Loo. Despite being a very British word for toilet, 'loo' is actually derived from the French phrase 'guardez l'eau', which means 'watch out for the water'.

What do Brits say instead of awesome?

Ace: One fun British slang term is "ace," which means something that's awesome or brilliant – i.e., "She's ace at navigating confusing driving directions." It's also used as a verb to describe excelling at something, like acing a test.

Why do British pronounce lieutenant with an F?

The Oxford English Dictionary states the pronunciation is “difficult to explain,” but suggests the old French word originally had a “w” sound at the end of the first syllable, and that eventually got confused with an “f” or a “v” and created the British way of saying the word.

How is lieutenant pronounced in the RAF?

The members of the Army and Royal Air Force say "lef-tenant", but in the Royal Navy that's a solecism ("loo-tenant" there).

How is lieutenant pronounced in Canada?

The British pronunciation of the French word "lieutenant" (as "lef-tenant") is the official pronunciation as used by the Canadian Armed Forces, but the American pronunciation of "loo-tenant" (which is closer to the original French pronunciation) is sometimes heard outside of the military.

Why do British pronounce clerk as Clark?

It was spelled both clark and clerk. Because the word clerk was pronounced with (är) rather than (ĕr) in the south of England, the vowels in the word did not become (ûr).