We say all the letters of the alphabet the same in British English and American English except for Z. In British English we say Zed. In American English we say Zee.
English speakers in other Commonwealth countries also prefer the pronunciation zed. As zed is the British pronunciation and zee is chiefly American, zed represents one of the rare occasions in which most Canadians prefer the British to the American pronunciation.
Originally Answered: Why do the British say "zed" instead of "zee"? Because the letter 'Z' comes from the ancient Greek alphabet and its name in that alphabet is Zeta. This became Zede in old French, and, as many French words passed into the English language, became Zed in English.
In most English-speaking countries, including Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom, the letter's name is zed /zɛd/, reflecting its derivation from the Greek zeta (this dates to Latin, which borrowed Y and Z from Greek), but in American English its name is zee /ziː/, ...
In England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Australia, India, Canada (usually), and New Zealand, Z is pronounced as zed. It's derived from the Greek letter zeta.
Zee is the American way of saying the letter z. Zed is the British way. Neither is right or wrong, and nobody is ignorant for pronouncing z the way they do. The zed pronunciation is older, and it more closely resembles the Greek letter, zeta, from which the English letter is derived.
z or s? In British English, s is generally used in such words as recognise, authorise. The letter z is used in American English in such words as recognize or authorize. However, it is not wrong to use z in such words when using British English as standard.
So it isn't actually spelled 'zedbra' but that's how zebra is pronounced in Australia. Like Canadians, Aussies say 'zed' not 'zee' for the letter z but Canadians pronounce zebra as 'zeebra' not 'zedbra'.
Grey and gray are two different spellings of the same word. Gray is more common in the U.S., while grey is more common in other English-speaking countries. In proper names—like Earl Grey tea and the unit Gray, among others—the spelling stays the same, and they need to be memorized.
The short answer is that the two nations do speak different dialects of English. Additionally, neither the use of language nor the use of these different dialects is bound by distinct geographical borders. This is why 'mum' and 'mom' show up in other parts of the world outside of USA and the UK.
'Innit? ' is a contraction of the tag question 'Isn't it? ' and people use it to prompt a response from the listener. So if someone says 'Nice weather, innit?
As it turns out, both of these pronunciations are correct, and which you use depends on where in the world you live. And zed is closer to other languages' spelling and pronunciation of the letter; for instance, the French say zède, German speakers say zet, and Spanish speakers say zeta.
Q: And do you know why some mothers in the English-speaking world are called “mom”, while others are called “mum”? A: Well, sort of. Certainly if you're in the US, your mother is your “mom” – short for “mommy” and in the UK, Australia and New Zealand it's “mum” – shortened from “mummy”.
The UK version is more logical. Math is an abbreviation of mathematics, which is a count noun in British English because there are different types of maths (geometry, algebra, calculus, etc.) and a mass noun that happens to end in an 's' in American English (like gymnastics in both dialects).
Let's get to the bottom of this cornucopia of spelling confusion. I'm going to cut to the chase and let you know that “grateful” (with one “l”) is the correct spelling. The misspelling “greatful” is not a word. Don't use it.
Spelt and spelled are two different spellings of the past tense of the verb “spell.” The spelling tends to vary based on the version of English you're using: In US English, “spelled” is standard. In UK English, both “spelled” and “spelt” are acceptable.
However, gray is the more popular spelling in the US, while grey reigns supreme in the UK as well as Ireland, Australia, and other places that use British English.