Zee versus zed

[Ohwhatfuckeryitistoride]

This week I've been running visual acuity tests for year 7s. I soon noticed that about 80% of them say zee instead of zed. Now I know language changes etc, it's a mix of us influences and maybe learning phonics in primary, but it made me feel unaccountably sad.
Do your kids say zed or zee?

Zee is the American pronunciation as far as I am aware.

Mine say zed but one has annoyingly picked up their teachers pronunciation of aitch as haitch.

My kids are a few years older. The say zed as the letter, but I call them "Gen zed" to wind them up because it's 100% definitely Gen Zee apparently.

I think the writing's on the wall for zed. I'm still surprised so many of your class said "zee" though.

It's not phonics, that would be zzzzz not zee.

I’ve noticed this about “haitch”. I think I’m the only person I know who says “aitch”, to the point where I started to wonder if it was, in fact, me who pronounced it wrong.

It will be social media and YouTube

As pp said Gen Z is pronounced Gen Zee etc

I used to change the Dr Zuess rhyme in the alphabet book to make sure they learned 'zed'

Mine are teens and say zed. I’m losing the battle with other words, though.

Zee is the American pronunciation and as young people hear it more via YouTube TikTok and the aforementioned gen zee it will become the accepted pronunciation here.
It isn’t anything to do with phonics as that is pure sounds and zed and zee are letter names which are avoided when teaching phonics.

I have students in my classes who say math instead of maths and sub instead of supply. I don’t know why it grinds my gears so much. Movie is another one I can’t stand. Nobody said movie in my town growing up. You’d have been laughed at. Kids also pronounce Amazon wrong.

It should be zed but I'm not surprised more and more people are saying zee.

I'm Scottish and pronouncing J as "djai" is the hill I'll die on. It's never "jay".

But that's changing now too sadly. Most people say jay. Hate it.

Yes teens here and they say zee 🙄. Also miss'l not miss-eye-l for missile and levver not leever for lever. Also pissed for pissed off.

Thank you for sharing your tip of saying Gen Zed.

I do try and find ways of winding up my younger teen by saying the wrong thing. He always corrects me.

My kids say zed but are mid and late teens.

Oh God yes! I’m sick of people saying pissed when they mean pissed off.

Well I’m in my 40’s and I say Zee ! Always have.
Im Scottish.

Yes! And mad for angry. I also wonder about privacy. I have always started it priv like give, not prive like private, but the latter is so ubiquitous now I'm wondering if I just mispronounced it as a child.

@awrite 🤣

How are they pronouncing Amazon?

Mine are still little so they say zzz but I think the eldest would probably know the letter name zed.

My grandmother said "azed" rather than zed or zee, there's always been variation.

I hate zee, I hate haitch, I hate math and I hate gotten (instead of got) - although I've read that a few regions in the UK apparently have always said this. However, they never have in the South West and now it's here big time.

Yes, gotten and haitch are both standard in parts of the UK, as well as all of Ireland.

That's two of us then!

Exactly the same with me, wondering if I had learnt it wrong.

I didn't realise that it was standard in the whole of Ireland. I've got (no irony intended) Irish neighbours either side of me and they don't use it. Admittedly they are in their 80's if that makes a difference. I also dated a guy from Belfast many moons ago and he didn't say it either. Has it always been standard? Edited to say that I'm specifically talking about "gotten".

Which?

Gotten would be used across the island as standard.

Haitch is standard in ROI and aitch vs haitch is a shibboleth in NI - very broadly, Protestant/Unionist/British = aitch, Catholic/Nationalist/Irish = haitch.

Both are correct.

I'm confused on this J- how exactly do you pronounce it?

Probably means it rhymes with eye.