Anonymous  +  720453 Thu, 07 May 09 08:01 PM Hi, I'm just wondering if you know where the US pronunciation of the letter Z - Zee originated. It almost sounds like something a childs songwriter invented so it would rhyme. Any ideas appreciated. Anonymous Pronunciation, Speaking

	Philip  +  720558 Thu, 07 May 09 10:39 PM I have no idea.  Your thought about rhyming in a children's song certainly rings true to some extent, as our kids do have a little jingle that would make 'zed' sound rather odd.  I'll be watching to see what others come up with. Philip Joined on Thu, Jun 23 2005 Veteran Member 8,738 At reise er at leve! - H. C. Andersen Songs

	khoff  +  720600 Fri, 08 May 09 01:03 AM I would think that it just developed in parallel to bee dee, ee, gee, tee, and so on.  Why "zed"???  The names of consonants are generally the consonant sound either preceeded or followed by a vowel sound -- but I can't think of any consonant names (other than "zed") that require getting another consonant involved.  khoff Joined on Sun, Mar 6 2005 Senior Member 3,278 Native speaker of American English (but not a grammar expert) Vowels, Consonants

	Yankee  +  720659 Fri, 08 May 09 02:15 AM khoff “but I can't think of any consonant names (other than "zed") that require getting another consonant involved. ” "Dubya" has a couple of consonant sounds. EDIT: There is a little write-up about the pronunciation of the letter "Z" here: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1632/why-do-the-british-pronounced-the-letter-z-zed Yankee Joined on Sat, Apr 15 2006 Connecticut, USA Veteran Member 6,506 Amy "You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." - Mark Twain Consonants, Pronunciation, Speaking

	khoff  +  720790 Fri, 08 May 09 04:06 AM Yes, you're right -- but that's because instead of giving any hint of the pronunciation of the letter, the name of W just describes its appearance -- "double U" (or "double V" in French).  I suppose it would be more consistent for W to be called "wee." khoff Pronunciation, Speaking, Tips, Languages

	Philip  +  720889 Fri, 08 May 09 05:20 AM khoff “ I suppose it would be more consistent for W to be called "wee." ”  Puh-leez! Big Smile" src="" mce_src="/emoticons/emotion-2.gif"> Philip

	Yankee  +  721437 Fri, 08 May 09 03:12 PM khoff “I suppose it would be more consistent for W to be called "wee."” Or we could adopt Nintendo's "wii". Yankee