# Why do Canadians call a "z" zed? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 12, 2003, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-canadians-call-a-z-zed/194599 "2003-08-12T07:03:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RedNaxela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ad7895/32.png) [@RedNaxela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedNaxela)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-canadians-call-a-z-zed/194599/21 "2003-08-12T16:14:27Z")
When my sisters and I were kids and we first learned of the “zed” pronunciation from a Canadian relative, we started singing the ABC song like this: “. . . W, X, Y, and Zed. Now I know my A-Bed-Ced, Next time won’t you sing with med!” In turn, that led (;)) to the idea that all of the letters of the alphabet should should end with “-ed,” because then the first few letters could be pronounced like this: "A bed said, ‘Dead Ed fed Ged’s head.’ " ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-canadians-call-a-z-zed/194599/22 "2003-08-12T17:38:31Z")
I was born pre-Sesame Street (in the USA) and “Z” was “zee” then, never “zed”. That alphabet song people are ascribing to Sesame Street existed before the show. ---
**Author:** ![Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuji_Kitakyusho)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-canadians-call-a-z-zed/194599/23 "2003-08-12T18:41:31Z")
Rex had the right idea. Without going so far as to use the phonetic alphabet, in which case Z would be “Zulu”, pronouncing it as “zed” makes it distinctly recognizable where it might otherwise be misinterpreted as C in radio or telephone communication. Plus, “zee” sounds silly. -Fuji ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-canadians-call-a-z-zed/194599/24 "2003-08-12T18:54:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Pergau \* > \*\*When I was learning the alphabet, it was A (rhymes with baa)and Z (Zed) > > But about the same time, we got children’s TV and Sesame Street so we heard the Alphabet song: > > ABCDEFG HIJKLMNOP QRU TUV W X Y and Zee. Now you know the ABC, you can sing along with me. > > And that sounded really weird because they mispronounced Z. > I think that this song, and Sesame Street in particular, is responsible for the mispronounciation of the letter Z. Although you could also accuse the letter V because of the rhyming scheme. > > Around the same time. I remember my English Cousins learning the alphabet phonetically: Ah ba ka da eh feh geh etc. I hope that that has died a death. \*\* This message is brought to you by the letter “S”.😃 ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-canadians-call-a-z-zed/194599/25 "2003-08-12T19:01:33Z")
BwanaBob, the people who are ascribing it to Sesame Street are not from the USA. That’s kind of important. Rex: > [@](#): > > Actually, I’ve grown to start using “zed” after too much time in phone support. I spent three years in a job here in Ireland where I had to constantly spell things out over the phone and “zed” is the one different pronunciation I just could _not_ bring myself to say. I grew to say “haitch”, “or” and even sometimes to pronounce the number 3 as “tree” but I simply cannot say “zed”. I don’t know why. On preview: Good one DeVena 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-canadians-call-a-z-zed/194599/26 "2003-08-12T19:29:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mangetout \* > \*\*Because the names are not logically derived, they are simply names - you might just as well be asking why the second letter isn’t called Buhbeeeeeewooo! \*\* Then, in that case, what basis do the zed cultists have for claiming that the US pronunciation is somehow “wrong”? ---
**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-canadians-call-a-z-zed/194599/27 "2003-08-12T20:52:05Z")
I have a related question about w. In the movie **A Fish Called Wanda** , an English character uses the sound “whhh” or “whhir” for the letter w. She says “a whhh for Wendy” instead of saying “a double-u for Wendy” as I would say. Is this a standard British pronounciation? ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-canadians-call-a-z-zed/194599/28 "2003-08-12T21:24:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sugaree \* > \*\*I have a related question about w. In the movie **A Fish Called Wanda** , an English character uses the sound “whhh” or “whhir” for the letter w. She says “a whhh for Wendy” instead of saying “a double-u for Wendy” as I would say. Is this a standard British pronounciation? \*\* No. As someone mentioned above, it is common as a child to learn the alphabet phonetically. An adult using such sounds is either being playful or is supposed to look simple. One interesting one, though is the letter “k”. The letters “c” and “k” are pronounced “kuh” phonetically, so the letter “k” becomes “kicking kuh” or “curly kuh”, depending on where you were taught. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Griffin)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-canadians-call-a-z-zed/194599/29 "2003-08-12T21:35:15Z")
I think that because English started in UK before America was even colonised by europeans “Zed” is obviously the original and correct pronounciation and the americans are obviously just being silly. It’s the same with your tomatoes and the way you have to say “sidewalk” instead of “pavement”, and “trunk” instead of “boot”. I mean everyone knoews a trunk is what an elephant uses to blow it’s snot out. ---
**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:** [August 12, 2003, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-canadians-call-a-z-zed/194599/30 "2003-08-12T22:05:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dogface \* > \*\*Then, in that case, what basis do the zed cultists have for claiming that the US pronunciation is somehow “wrong”? \*\* I’m not aware that anyone was making any such drastic and sweeping claim; certainly ‘zee’ is not the UK-normal pronunciation and may perhaps even be described as ‘wrong’ in this fair land, but of course that doesn’t make it the correct name everywhere, ‘zee’ is normal in the USA and therefore ‘zed’ is just as wrong there. Just like the Alumin(i)um thing - ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ are words bandied about by people who don’t understand the issue. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-canadians-call-a-z-zed/194599/31 "2003-08-12T22:11:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mangetout \* > \*\*I’m not aware that anyone was making any such drastic and sweeping claim… \*\* Hee hee… Look at the post directly above you. 😉 Yay preview! _g_ ---
**Author:** ![The\_Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Griffin)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-canadians-call-a-z-zed/194599/32 "2003-08-12T22:11:36Z")
But why do americans say Aluminum? Do they say Helum? Calcum? Niobum? Rhodum? no they dont, so they are obviously being stupid there. ;j 😉 ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-canadians-call-a-z-zed/194599/33 "2003-08-14T15:15:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by amanset \* > One interesting one, though is the letter “k”. The letters “c” and “k” are pronounced “kuh” phonetically, so the letter “k” becomes “kicking kuh” or “curly kuh”, depending on where you were taught. That’s illogical and I’m sure it’s not correct. “Kicking kuh” means “k” alright but “curly cuh” refers to the “c”, and the two expressions are used to enable children to tell one from another. The word kicking obvously begins with a k, and it looks as though it’s kicking; a c is a curly shape and begins that word. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by The Griffin_ > But why do americans say Aluminum? That has been asked several times, such as in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=123201). ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-canadians-call-a-z-zed/194599/34 "2003-08-14T17:46:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by everton \* > \*\*That’s illogical and I’m sure it’s not correct. “Kicking kuh” means “k” alright but “curly cuh” refers to the “c”, and the two expressions are used to enable children to tell one from another. The word kicking obvously begins with a k, and it looks as though it’s kicking; a c is a curly shape and begins that word. Maybe you are right, I am 29 so it has been a wee while since I learnt the alphabet! Then again, the way I was taught to write “k” was quite curly, with the upper diagonal actually being a round bit (somewhat like an “R” but squashed and with the leftmost perpendicular a bit longer than the rest). ---
**Author:** ![Balduran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@Balduran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balduran)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-canadians-call-a-z-zed/194599/35 "2003-08-14T18:30:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mangetout \* > \*\*Whatever happened to that bearded rock trio _Zed Zed Top_? \*\* The principle in my school had obviously never heard of this group because during an assembly that is how he referred to them (something about the dangers of rock and roll). Hilarity ensued. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-canadians-call-a-z-zed/194599.md?page=1)