"Zero" is the usual name for the number 0 in English. In British English "nought" is also used. In American English "naught" is used occasionally for zero, but (as with British English) "naught" is more often used as an archaic word for nothing.
In spoken English, the number “0” is often read as the letter "o", often spelled “oh”. This is especially true when “0” is included with a list of other numbers.
Usage notes
The use of aught and ought to mean "zero" is very much proscribed as the word aught originally meant the opposite of naught: "anything". This may be due to misanalysis, or may simply be the result of speakers confusing the meanings of aught and naught due to similar-sounding phonemes.
"Zero" is the usual name for the number 0 in English. In British English "nought" is also used. In American English "naught" is used occasionally for zero, but (as with British English) "naught" is more often used as an archaic word for nothing.
It is not only followed in America but also in Britain for a simple reason that it is easier to say “O” rather than “zero”. It also flows easily while reciting a number, “O” has a single syllable whereas “zero” has two. That's American for you! Even some Canadians do the same.
In British English, zero is pronounced 'zee-roh' - like 'hero', but with a zed. Depending on the context, British people may use “naught' (pronounced 'nawt') or “oh” instead of zero. When saying a telephone number, for instance, zero is usually said as “oh”.
It' partly because “O” and “0” look a lot alike. “Oh” is easier to say than “zero,” and in the right context (like reciting a phone number), there is no chance of confusion. There may also be some influence from the old dial phones.
In Britain, the "o" vowel, [ɒ], in words like dog, hod, pot, is pronounced with rounded lips and the tongue back in the mouth. Americans do not have this vowel, instead pronouncing the same words using the "ah" vowel, [ɑ], with the lips unrounded and the tongue back but more relaxed.
You can simply say: Sorry, or, not today. Or, I'm not interested, thanks. There are lots of different ways to express “no”. Memorizing some of these phrases will make easier for you to decline an invitation or not to do something you're asked to do.
Use the word nil to mean "zero," especially when you're talking about scores in a sporting event: "the final score was twelve-nil." Saying nil instead of zero or nothing is much more common in Britain than in the United States.
If your day begins at midnight, you use 0000 in military time, pronounced zero hundred hours. If your day ends at midnight, you end your day at 2400, pronounced 24 hundred hours.
For zero in Japanese, the kanji is 零 (rei). However, it is more common to use and say “zero” the same way we say it in English: ゼロ (zero). Or マル (maru) which translates to “circle” and it's used the same way we say “oh” instead of “zero” in English when reading individual digits of a number.
But many people are writing the movie title, as 2.0 when it is actually, 2. O. In Hollywood, zero is pronounced as "O" and so, the movie needs to be pronounced as 2. O and not 2.0!
10 words Americans often mispronounce, according to a new study. (NEXSTAR) – It's not just you; almost no one knows how to pronounce “acai.” That's the major takeaway from a recent study conducted by Unscrambled Words, which sought to determine the words, terms or names that Americans are often struggling to pronounce.
Onomatopoeia
The word onomatopoeia is a jumble of vowels and is probably the most difficult English word to pronounce. It is pronounced [on-uh-mat-uh–pee–uh], and it defines a word that imitates a sound. The –poeia suffix is pronounced [pee–uh]. The letter O is silent.
No one means not a single person, or not a single member of a particular group or set.
In Australia, it is popular to interchange "zero" for "o" when stating a phone number.