# Do the British sleep with zedzedzedzedzedzeds above their heads? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 31, 2009, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-british-sleep-with-zedzedzedzedzedzeds-above-their-heads/515803 "2009-10-31T02:32:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-british-sleep-with-zedzedzedzedzedzeds-above-their-heads/515803/61 "2009-11-04T10:23:13Z")
> [@legalsnugs](#): > > :dubious: Well, that was certainly uncalled for. Just because you didn’t learn it as a child doesn’t mean you need to be insulting about it. Oh dear, I’m sorry if I caused any offense – none was intended. I just had the realisation that it really would have irritated me if I’d learned it as a child, that’s all. I’m quite certain I’m not the first person to note the problems with this little ditty. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-british-sleep-with-zedzedzedzedzedzeds-above-their-heads/515803/62 "2009-11-04T11:42:06Z")
> [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](#): > > C - See or kuh (curly kuh is what I remember from early school) We had “kicking kuh”. I am sure someone has found a reason to ban that these days. ---
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-british-sleep-with-zedzedzedzedzedzeds-above-their-heads/515803/63 "2009-11-04T19:00:37Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Huh, not sure about that. Maybe that’s used early in school, but if so, I don’t remember anymore. My sister’s party trick is to recite the alphabet very quickly as abuhcuhduhefuhguhhuhijuhkerlermmm ---
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-british-sleep-with-zedzedzedzedzedzeds-above-their-heads/515803/64 "2009-11-04T19:19:13Z")
It took me years of living in America before I realized the significance of the z in eee-zed up. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_Astronaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Bad\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-british-sleep-with-zedzedzedzedzedzeds-above-their-heads/515803/65 "2009-11-04T19:48:17Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > That was how we always sang it when I was in school in NZ, too. We used that alphabet song in Canada too. If we were feeling clever we might tack on something about going to bed at the end to help the song resolve (eg. “Doubleyu, ecks, why and zed, now I know my ABC’s, now it’s time to go to bed”). Also, is anyone else a fan of the bad Zed Zed Top? ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-british-sleep-with-zedzedzedzedzedzeds-above-their-heads/515803/66 "2009-11-04T20:09:26Z")
When I sleep I have neither zees nor zeds floating over me. I have a saw cutting through a log. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-british-sleep-with-zedzedzedzedzedzeds-above-their-heads/515803/67 "2009-11-04T20:28:44Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > BTW, did you guys also trace the letters on sandpaper blocks? We had a workbook for each letter and the letter was on the cover in a sandpaper texture. Loved that. It would be tough to learn the letter and its pronunciation for those letters with many ways to say them. Oh, and according to my pop, a sneeze is snooooooooort, puff, puff, puff. Not a zed to be found. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-british-sleep-with-zedzedzedzedzedzeds-above-their-heads/515803/68 "2009-11-04T20:33:34Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > Do American babies cry DubyaDubyaDubyaDubyaDubyaDubyaAyAitch 🙂 WWWWWWAH? Nah, more like WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! ---
**Author:** ![Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fake_Tales_of_San_Francisco)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-british-sleep-with-zedzedzedzedzedzeds-above-their-heads/515803/69 "2009-11-04T20:35:39Z")
> [@sqweels](#): > > When I sleep I have neither zees nor zeds floating over me. I have a saw cutting through a log. Come to think of it, that would be how I read ‘zzzzzzzz’ too. It’s neither zeezeezeezeezee or zedzedzedzedzed. If it’s supposed to indicate the sound of snoring neither pronunciation makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-british-sleep-with-zedzedzedzedzedzeds-above-their-heads/515803/70 "2009-11-04T20:42:07Z")
> [@kevlaw](#): > > It took me years of living in America before I realized the significance of the z in eee-zed up. Right. Also seen in “EZPass” – an automated toll-paying system used in the northeastern US. Or the “1040-EZ”, a simplified income tax form issued by the Internal Revenue Service. By the way, for you Commonwealth people pronouncing “zebra” with a short “e”, how do you pronounce “zero”? (No fair responding with “nil”, or “naught”!) ---
**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:** [November 4, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-british-sleep-with-zedzedzedzedzedzeds-above-their-heads/515803/71 "2009-11-04T21:07:08Z")
> [@Bad\_Astronaut](#): > > Also, is anyone else a fan of the bad Zed Zed Top? I’ve called them that in the past - on purpose, to annoy or perplex, but it always falls flat. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-british-sleep-with-zedzedzedzedzedzeds-above-their-heads/515803/72 "2009-11-04T22:05:01Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Oh, and according to my pop, a sneeze is snooooooooort, puff, puff, puff. Not a zed to be found. A snore, not a sneeze :smack: I guess I felt I had to include a zed. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-british-sleep-with-zedzedzedzedzedzeds-above-their-heads/515803/73 "2009-11-05T00:50:31Z")
> [@Bytegeist](#): > > By the way, for you Commonwealth people pronouncing “zebra” with a short “e”, how do you pronounce “zero”? (No fair responding with “nil”, or “naught”!) “Zerro”. Like “Zorro”, but with an “E”. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_Astronaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Bad\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-british-sleep-with-zedzedzedzedzedzeds-above-their-heads/515803/74 "2009-11-05T01:11:02Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > “Zerro”. Like “Zorro”, but with an “E”. That doesn’t provide any information - the E is what is being asked about. I think the main contenders would be “zeer-oh” or “zerr-oh”. ---
**Author:** ![BlimeyORiley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@BlimeyORiley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlimeyORiley)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-british-sleep-with-zedzedzedzedzedzeds-above-their-heads/515803/75 "2009-11-05T01:24:01Z")
What I have never understood is how to Americans not confuse c cee with z zee ? (When given verbally) I have a hard time being understood on the phone, this would drive me nuts ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-british-sleep-with-zedzedzedzedzedzeds-above-their-heads/515803/76 "2009-11-05T01:46:31Z")
We say “z as in zebra” or “c as in charlie,” or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-british-sleep-with-zedzedzedzedzedzeds-above-their-heads/515803/77 "2009-11-05T01:58:44Z")
> [@Bad\_Astronaut](#): > > That doesn’t provide any information - the E is what is being asked about. I think the main contenders would be “zeer-oh” or “zerr-oh”. “Zerr-oh” was the pronunciation I was describing. ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-british-sleep-with-zedzedzedzedzedzeds-above-their-heads/515803/78 "2009-11-05T02:43:15Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > We say “z as in zebra” or “c as in charlie,” or something like that. Z as in Zulu, and C as in Charlie actually. Zulu is one that is common to most cultures, and thus not open to misinterpretation, hence its use in the standard phonetic alphabet. ---
**Author:** ![Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fake_Tales_of_San_Francisco)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-british-sleep-with-zedzedzedzedzedzeds-above-their-heads/515803/79 "2009-11-05T02:54:04Z")
> [@Bytegeist](#): > > By the way, for you Commonwealth people pronouncing “zebra” with a short “e”, how do you pronounce “zero”? (No fair responding with “nil”, or “naught”!) Generally I hear it pronounced zee-ro. How do you pronounce zenith? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-british-sleep-with-zedzedzedzedzedzeds-above-their-heads/515803/80 "2009-11-05T02:56:35Z")
One of the funniest conversations I ever heard was the one between the woman in the next cubicle who grew up in central Georgia in conversation with an operator in London, Ontario, trying to arrange a report that was to be printed using class Z on our system. Zee vs Zed was the start of their problem, but it got much worse, very fast. I finally had to act as an interpreter, relying on my second language skills picked up from listening to Ontario radio stations CHYR and CKWW when I lived in Michigan. (CKLW was just an American station on the South side of the Canadian border, so it didn’t count.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-british-sleep-with-zedzedzedzedzedzeds-above-their-heads/515803.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-british-sleep-with-zedzedzedzedzedzeds-above-their-heads/515803.md?page=5)