# British pronunciation of "jaguar" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 23, 2002, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronunciation-of-jaguar/144487 "2002-12-23T04:40:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronunciation-of-jaguar/144487/1 "2002-12-23T04:40:19Z")
I’ve always heard and pronounced the word jaguar as jag-war. But I recently heard a TV ad for the sports car which pronounced it as jag-yoo-ar. I have to assume the car company and the ad agency intended it to be pronounced that way. I also assume that the car and the animal have the same pronunciation. But I believe that Jaguars (the cars) are manufactured in the UK, so perhaps the three syllable pronunciation is the British way. Am I correct? On a related note, I recently heard the British pronunciation of the word zebra. Apparently in the UK it’s zeb-ra, while here in the US it’s zeeb-ra. Sometimes you have to question whether we’re actually using the same language. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronunciation-of-jaguar/144487/2 "2002-12-23T05:12:07Z")
Jag-yoo-ar is how I say it. And I say porche like ‘porsh’ Jaguar (the company) like many others, is not exclusively british any more (correct me if I am wrong) but I think it is safe to say the ‘correct’ pronunciation is the British pronunciation. In the UK we pronounce the letter z as ‘zed’ ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronunciation-of-jaguar/144487/3 "2002-12-23T05:15:05Z")
Interestingly, we entertained the identical question not long ago in [Pronunciation of ‘‘jaguar’’](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=145570). ---
**Author:** ![rampisad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/858c86/32.png) [@rampisad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rampisad)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronunciation-of-jaguar/144487/4 "2002-12-23T08:53:30Z")
I seem to recall a witty saying along the lines of “America and England are two countries separated by a common language”. Anybody know the source? I grew up in the British Empire (heavens, that shows my age), and I say Jag-you-are, and Zed, and Cess-sill ( 😉 and tomahto 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronunciation-of-jaguar/144487/5 "2002-12-23T09:18:17Z")
There seems to be less emphasis on the last syllable 'round these parts (south coast) - more like Jag-you-urh ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronunciation-of-jaguar/144487/6 "2002-12-23T10:16:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lobsang \* > \*\*In the UK we pronounce the letter z as ‘zed’ \*\* When the first UK language Speak&Spell[sup]Tm[/sup] units went on sale here in the UK, there was also a flood of grey(gray) imports; many people would vainly try to test them in the shop, hoping that the word ‘colo(u)r’ would come up - there was an easier way - press the ‘z’ key and see if you get zee or zed. Also on the subject of zee and zed, the Dr Seuss book _The Cat in The Hat Comes Back_ was composed in such a way as to make the rhymes work either way. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronunciation-of-jaguar/144487/7 "2002-12-23T10:55:02Z")
Australian adding nothing to the thread: Jaguar - Jag-you-ah Zebra - Zeb-rah Z - Zee Porshe - pawsh Cecil - Cess-sil Tomato - tomahto Bath - bahth Glass - glahs Car - cah ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronunciation-of-jaguar/144487/8 "2002-12-23T11:33:08Z")
Another 'stain continuing nothing… \*Originally posted by cazzle \* \*\* Z - Zee \*\* You say Zee in Victoria ?!!!? ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronunciation-of-jaguar/144487/9 "2002-12-23T11:40:04Z")
I guess that was a little misleading… personally, I say Zee, but Zed is also used frequently. ---
**Author:** ![ninevah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/46a35a/32.png) [@ninevah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ninevah)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronunciation-of-jaguar/144487/10 "2002-12-23T12:23:57Z")
My mother always tells me off if I say ‘zee’, reminding me that this is american pronounciation for Z. ‘Zed’ is the correct Australian (and probably english?) pronounciation for the letter Z. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronunciation-of-jaguar/144487/11 "2002-12-23T13:42:27Z")
I believe Mark Twain made the “…separated by a common language” quip. ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronunciation-of-jaguar/144487/12 "2002-12-23T14:02:26Z")
\>\>. But I recently heard a TV ad for the sports car which pronounced it as jag-yoo-ar. I still chuckle at the radio ad (recently aired in NY) where the proper British woman describes the car, using the jag-u-war pronunciation, then the American announcer comes on to describe sale conditions and leasing terms, pronouncing it jag-war. ---
**Author:** ![TheNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@TheNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheNerd)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronunciation-of-jaguar/144487/13 "2002-12-23T16:18:14Z")
As long as you don’t pronounce it “jag-wire”, I won’t have to kill you. ---
**Author:** ![Paddle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f19dbf/32.png) [@Paddle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paddle)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronunciation-of-jaguar/144487/14 "2002-12-23T16:23:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cazzle \* > \*\*Australian adding nothing to the thread: > Cecil - Cess-sil > \*\* Is there another way to pronounce it? What is the American way? I’d hate to think I have been wrongly pronouncing Mr. Adams’ name. Paddle. ---
**Author:** ![RedDawgEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dbc845/32.png) [@RedDawgEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedDawgEsq)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronunciation-of-jaguar/144487/15 "2002-12-23T16:32:19Z")
In my part of the woods, Cecil is pronounced Cease’ - uhl. ---
**Author:** ![c\_goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@c\_goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_goat)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronunciation-of-jaguar/144487/16 "2002-12-23T16:37:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SirRay \* > \*\*I still chuckle at the radio ad (recently aired in NY) where the proper British woman describes the car, using the jag-u-war pronunciation, then the American announcer comes on to describe sale conditions and leasing terms, pronouncing it jag-war. \*\* That’s like the commercial for those Ricola cough drops. The guys sing Reek-o-la, then the announcer comes on and says Rih-cola (like coca-cola). I think they do it on purpose just to piss us off. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronunciation-of-jaguar/144487/17 "2002-12-23T17:39:24Z")
Also noticed, listening to the BBC on NPR, that the British seem to pronounce “Nicaragua” something like Nick-ar-AG-yoo-wa (very similar to the jaguar pronunciation). And in the same story you’d hear a native of same country pronounce it Nee-gar-awa. And the American pronunciation somewhere in between. ---
**Author:** ![RedDawgEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dbc845/32.png) [@RedDawgEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedDawgEsq)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronunciation-of-jaguar/144487/18 "2002-12-23T22:01:07Z")
[hijack] Has the dichotomy between “noo’ - klee -uhr” and “nuke’ -you - lur” ever been resolved? [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Zazie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Zazie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zazie)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronunciation-of-jaguar/144487/19 "2002-12-23T22:24:46Z")
So from what I understand the english pronouce it a Jag-oo-ar. But it is how the say the “cat”'s name too? Or is it just the car. ---
**Author:** ![rampisad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/858c86/32.png) [@rampisad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rampisad)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronunciation-of-jaguar/144487/20 "2002-12-24T08:10:04Z")
since the symbol of the car is the cat, you can take it as a pretty fair bet that the they’re the same, in my vernacular. As for Nicaragua, is their any other way than nick - err -ag - you -uh? In response to the hijack … nyoo - klee - eh [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pronunciation-of-jaguar/144487.md?page=2)