# Is the alphabet song outside of america? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 27, 2011, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-alphabet-song-outside-of-america/569165 "2011-01-27T10:51:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AllFreedomUnlessDefyingScience](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@AllFreedomUnlessDefyingScience](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllFreedomUnlessDefyingScience)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-alphabet-song-outside-of-america/569165/1 "2011-01-27T10:51:43Z")
Occasioned by me watching the cutest (if frequently interrupted) version of the alphabet song ever [Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTqCVJW2qOw) I was wondering if the tune of the song and even the ending words are different in non-American English-speaking countries. I know that in England and a lot of the commonwealth countries you say “Zed” instead of “Zee” for the letter Z. That seems to mess with the rhythm of the song to me. Can anyone enlighten (yet another) dumb American? ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-alphabet-song-outside-of-america/569165/2 "2011-01-27T11:02:56Z")
Nope, in Aust its just another example of cultural imperialism! 🙂 According to my 12yo and 10yo they use Zee (but think their teachers use Zed!). But when they sing the alphabet backwards, they use Zed. ---
**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:** [January 27, 2011, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-alphabet-song-outside-of-america/569165/3 "2011-01-27T11:35:18Z")
It doesn’t mess with the rhythm, but it does take away the rhyme. In my experience, in the UK - nobody cares that it doesn’t rhyme. Sometimes kids will say zee. English in Britain isn’t all the same, American English and British English is growingly interchangeable. There’s a few different rhythmic versions of it dotting around I think. General condenses seems to be that it doesn’t matter. ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-alphabet-song-outside-of-america/569165/4 "2011-01-27T11:43:01Z")
My toddler says “zed” at the end, and doesn’t realise the rhyme doesn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-alphabet-song-outside-of-america/569165/5 "2011-01-27T11:59:54Z")
The alphabet song uses _Twinkle Twinkle Little Star_ as the music, (aka Baa Baa Black Sheep, etc, and Mozart has used it too) and for that reason it travels. I remember learning it from Sesame Street when I was preschool age, but never encountered it in real life, such as at school or amongst my friends. The ‘zed’ and ‘zee’ difference was just one of many cultural differences I accounted for throughout my youth, using whichever was appropriate for the situation. ---
**Author:** ![AllFreedomUnlessDefyingScience](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@AllFreedomUnlessDefyingScience](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllFreedomUnlessDefyingScience)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-alphabet-song-outside-of-america/569165/6 "2011-01-27T12:20:52Z")
For some reason I find the idea of losing the rhyme disturbing. It diminishes it as a mnemonic. ---
**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:** [January 27, 2011, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-alphabet-song-outside-of-america/569165/7 "2011-01-27T12:32:17Z")
Why would you find it disturbing? It’s not like it affects a child’s learning at all. In fact, it’s probably better that they can remember it without having to recall a rhyme imo. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-alphabet-song-outside-of-america/569165/8 "2011-01-27T12:44:39Z")
Not only do they sing it in the UK but I use it to demonstrate the superiority of “zee” over “zed”. Because otherwise the song doesn’t rhyme, see. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-alphabet-song-outside-of-america/569165/9 "2011-01-27T12:45:10Z")
In the UK when I was a kid we had a different alphabet song. Difficult to write it but it kinda goes: A b c d E f g HI JK LM. NO PQ r S t U v W XY Zed. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-alphabet-song-outside-of-america/569165/10 "2011-01-27T13:25:14Z")
I prefer Big Bird’s version, myself… o/`Abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwyxz It’s the most remarkable word I’ve ever seen. Abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwyxz I wish I knew exactly what I mean. It starts out like an “A” word, as anyone can see, but somewhere in the middle it gets awful QR to me! o/` ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-alphabet-song-outside-of-america/569165/11 "2011-01-27T13:31:15Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > I prefer Big Bird’s version, myself… > > o/`Abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwyxz > It’s the most remarkable word I’ve ever seen. > Abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwyxz > I wish I knew exactly what I mean. > > It starts out like an “A” word, > as anyone can see, > but somewhere in the middle > it gets awful QR to me! o/` And of course, that wonderful word is pronounced something like “Ab-keef-ghefl-knop-qurstu-wic-ziz!” ---
**Author:** ![AllFreedomUnlessDefyingScience](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@AllFreedomUnlessDefyingScience](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllFreedomUnlessDefyingScience)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-alphabet-song-outside-of-america/569165/12 "2011-01-27T13:38:22Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Not only do they sing it in the UK but I use it to demonstrate the superiority of “zee” over “zed”. Because otherwise the song doesn’t rhyme, see. A fellow traveler! See what I mean, it SHOULD rhyme. LOL Who are you trying to convince though? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-alphabet-song-outside-of-america/569165/13 "2011-01-27T14:15:52Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > And of course, that wonderful word is pronounced something like “Ab-keef-ghefl-knop-qurstu-wic-ziz!” Ab’-cǝ-def’-gee-jek’ǝl-mǝnop’-kwǝr-stoov’-wixiz ---
**Author:** ![alsoknownas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@alsoknownas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alsoknownas)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-alphabet-song-outside-of-america/569165/14 "2011-01-27T22:28:16Z")
The song is not used that much in the UK. The tune is ‘twinkle twinkle little star’ right? But since we are now partly a cultural annex of the U.S. people don’t have any problem un-self-conciously saying Americanisms like ‘zee’ (yuk!). ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-alphabet-song-outside-of-america/569165/15 "2011-01-27T22:39:52Z")
I learned a Spanish version (with the ch, ll, and two other letters) in fourth grade. It had no relation to the English-speaking tune at all but otherwise was a chirpy little song without the ending imploring us to either sing along with me or won’t you come with me. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-alphabet-song-outside-of-america/569165/16 "2011-01-28T00:18:16Z")
Korean doesn’t have it. School children repeat it in monotone. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-alphabet-song-outside-of-america/569165/17 "2011-01-28T17:20:36Z")
There is a [german version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1BVYioZKzI&feature=related). But I don’t understand why it has to rhyme as long as it fits the melody? ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-alphabet-song-outside-of-america/569165/18 "2011-01-28T18:32:11Z")
> [@Mehitabel](#): > > I learned a Spanish version (with the ch, ll, and two other letters) in fourth grade. It had no relation to the English-speaking tune at all but otherwise was a chirpy little song without the ending imploring us to either sing along with me or won’t you come with me. In Jr High (California, late 80’s), we learned a Spanish version that does follow the familiar tune. However, the rhythm wasn’t everything you could hope for. Too many letters have extra syllables in Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-alphabet-song-outside-of-america/569165/19 "2011-01-28T18:46:19Z")
We sang it in Canada, with the same metre as in the US, just with zed instead of zee. The rhyme didn’t matter. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-alphabet-song-outside-of-america/569165/20 "2011-01-28T19:23:36Z")
Or Canadians will just sing “zee” but still call the letter “zed”, as we are generally aware that “zee” is the American name for “zed”. I’ve heard the song sung in French, where it really doesn’t rhyme. There’s also no need to add the word “and” before the final letter, as the French name for “y” has two syllables “i grec” (pronounced Ee-grek; Greek i). I don’t remember the couple of lines at the end, though. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-alphabet-song-outside-of-america/569165.md?page=2)