All of the Canadian youtubers that I watch pronounce the letter z as “zi”, as is done in the United States. However, I have read online that it is more common for Canadians to pronounce it as “zed”, as is done in the United Kingdom. Is this a regional thing? How do you pronounce the letter z?
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I spell my name with a zed not a zi. From Sask
Like many things, it depends. I’m curious about the context where you’re actually hearing YouTubers say the letter.
It’s usually “zed” and we’re taught it as “zed” in school - at least when i was a kid.
If I’m spelling something it is Zed. I don’t think I’ve ever said Zee in that context.
The alphabet ends with Zee when singing it, due to the rhyme with Vee (and probably Sesame Street).
In my head I will say Nissan Zee for a Z type car. Though if I was to speak the phrase “Nissan Z type” I would say Zed.
When it is used in online slang (GG EZ) it is “Zee” for “easy”.
ZZ Top is Zee Zee Top. Zorro draws a Zed. Things are Zed-shaped, not Zee-shaped in general.
It’s Eee zed Pea zed!
Lemon squee zed
I have always said it as “easy peasy”
They were joking. No one says easy peazed.
Another common one for me that I didn’t even notice for a while was Gen-Z, which I will always say “jenzi”. Zed sounds unacceptable there, even though I say zed in most other cases besides those you’ve outlined.
Yeah another one I thought of is XYZ
For me it’s Zed-axis, but Ecks-Why-Zee coordinates.
I am Canadian I say Zed. Plus it’s fun to watch americans lose it when I say Zed Zed Top (heehee).
Fun fact about ZZ Top. Consists of two guys famously sporting long iconic beards and one who is not. The one who is not, his name is Frank Beard.
But that totally makes sense. Would have been two guys with a beard and one with two otherwise.
clears throat
why why zee
leaves promptly
Omg, I actually do think and say it this way. Why Why Zed sounds wrong :(
why are you saying why twice in a row?
YYZ is the name of a popular instrumental song by Rush and also the airport code for Toronto Pearson.
ohh ty
both, and i never bother to correct myself, or give it any consideration.
This is the best answer.
I also say both and have no idea which one is going to come out of my mouth until it’s said.
We are now, no longer the Canadians who say ‘zi’.
It took me the longest time to figure out whether they wanted strawberries or shrubberies.
What?
Username checks out, maybe…
Zed, unless its part of a person/product name where its specifically Zee, like Jay-Zee. Otherwise, it’s Gen Zed.
I used to not care about this at all, but recently I am adamant about using zed. Similarly, I go out of my way to use the non-American spelling for any words that have it.
Zed
Zed
for my family, it’s very much Zed. jay zed, zed zed top,
Zed. Zee is horrible.
Stand proud, Embrace Zed.
o7 I say it as Zed and will never fall.
Zed. Grew up in Ottawa, since lived in Montreal a long time. French also says zed.
Zed ad absurdum.
E-zed sharpener. Eee Zed Money. That sort of thing.
Drives everyone crazy, especially if it’s a Canadian or Commonwealth product.
As a mumbling Canadian, I always say Zed to avoid confusion with the letter C.
Regarding your point about Canadian YouTubers, I’m guessing their audience is overwhelmingly American, so they purposely say Z the American way. It also extends to money, temperature and other units. I hear Canadian YouTubers give prices in USD and temperature in F.
This Canadian youtuber doesn’t.
I’m Canadian, and I pronounce things the proper Canadian way.
When mentioning measurements or temperature, I use metric, and if I also happen to translate to imperial, I joke that it is a courtesy translation for the 3 countries in the world still stuck in the obsolete units.
As a mumbling Canadian, I always say Zed to avoid confusion with the letter C.
In my experience, I find it’s usually g/z that tends to get the most easily confused when pronouncing as “zee,” guessing because both are voiced consonants. One of those cases where I have to request phonetic alphabet spelling if call/chat quality is too low to tell.
That makes sense. I assume it’s that, as well as perhaps consuming a lot of American media. I’ve noticed a lot of non-Americans sometimes using USD.
consuming a lot of American media.
They export American exceptionalism as a default attitude.
And, after a century or more, it has taken hold far more than it has any right to.
I hope the increasing boycott of all things American that Trump has caused will start to reverse somehow that. But it will take a long time to undo - that shit is pervasive.
It’s also zed in French, fwiw
