zed

Meanings

1. 1nouncountableBritish

   The name of the letter Z in British English and in most other countries that use English.

   Grammar: Americans say zee for the same letter.

   Patterns

   • a zed
   • the letter zed

   In Britain the alphabet ends with zed.

   Spell your surname for me, and say zed, not zee.

   The sign had a big red zed painted on it.

2. 2nouncountabletechnical

   A Z-shaped object, bar or bend, or a word used to name something shaped like that letter.

   Grammar: Used mostly in technical or trade contexts.

   Patterns

   • a zed bar

   The carpenter fitted a zed brace across the back of the door.

   Draw a zed with a single stroke.

   The road made a sharp zed up the hillside.

Word forms

Common combinations

from A to zed

She knows the business from A to zed.

catch some zeds

I need to catch some zeds before the flight.

capital zed

Write a capital zed at the top of the form.

say zed

British pupils say zed when they recite the alphabet.

Synonyms and how they differ

zee

Zee is the American name for the same letter, so it is the usual form in the United States and Canada.

izzard

Izzard is an old dialect name for Z that is now very rare.

Z

Z is the written letter itself, while zed is how you say it.

Word family

zeds noun

plural, also slang for sleep as in catching zeds

zee noun

the American form

Commonly confused: zed or said? zed or zee?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “zed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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