Question About English Letter

[Major_A]

I was watching Top Gear on TV the other day and they kept calling the letter Z Zed. My question is why?
To quote Cousin Avi:
Blagged? Speak English to me, Tony. I thought this country spawned the ****ing language, and so far nobody seems to speak it.

[DMB2000uk]

As we are the originators of the language, shouldn't the more accurate question be why do you guys call it Zee?

Dan

[Sporg]

I don't get Zed either...one of those quirky language differences (yes between America and those other guys on the island).

[FZ1]

English is primarily based off of germanic and latin languages - many of which pronounce it as zed. I guess it became bastardized here in America like a million other words.

[Major_A]

Like....
grey and gray
colour and color
etc...?

[Sporg]

Yeah, I still switch freely between grey and gray. And catch myself using colour. Firefox spell check does not like those! lol

[stev]

resume and resume

One you use to get a job the other you set for driving the car.

[shamrok3]

America is the only country that says Zee. Both Australia and New Zealand say Zed.

[Sowser]

Who's motorcycle is this?"
"It's not a motorcycle baby it's a chopper."
"Who's chopper is this?"
"Zed's."
"Who's Zed?"
"Zed's dead baby. Zed's dead."

[hark]

Zed is used in Canada as well. I was born in the United States and had learned my alphabet there. I came up to Canada still at kindergarten age, so when we were singing the alphabet song, I said zee instead of zed and the class was wondering what I was going on about and I was wondering what they were going on about with that zed business. Now I switch between the two, but I rarely say that letter (or any letter, really) in the first place.

[vicaphit]

I guess saying Zed helps to avoid someone thinking Cee.

[Major_A]

One reason why they probably have the NATO phonetic alphabet. Americans were calling in artillery on Zee and it was not landing at Zed.

[DL13]

All so US tire / UK tyre