depends if they are male or female. zeebra is for females and zeebro is for males.
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US: "Zeebra"
I would venture a guess that countries that say "Z" as "Zee" pronounce it "zeebra" where countries that say Z as in "Zed" pronounce it zebrah like "Debra".
Except Canada, where we only do things halfway and never just pick a side on something like this: we say both “zed” and “zeebra”
In your defense, you have a significant active French community.
It's a bit like during the Norman Conquest when English started absorbing some French - it's just still ongoing for you!
Also US but I’d say most people in my area have a more noticeable down shift on the end vowel so it sounds more “zeebruh”. Debra on the otherhand would still have a crisper “a”.
Debra the woman's name? Or the verb for removing a bra?
Aren't they pronounced the same?
Is Zeebra and animal, or a French person asking for lingerie?
In Germany it's pronounced Tsébrah. Though I have a hard time thinking about an example for our e sound. It's like halfway between zeebra and Debra. The sound is more similar to Debra but less flat. Maybe like the second e in electricity but a little bit longer.
Zay-braah I guess, if I would try to write Dutch sounds in English spelling.
There's a sound version available at https://webwoordenboek.nl/uitspraak/zebra
In Italian it rhymes with Debra. Italians also feel sorry for all kids whose parents thought omitting an O would make for a good name choice.
US and I say "zehbra." But I do this intentionally because that's how I've heard South Africans say it and I figure they are correct. My wife thinks I'm pretentious. But not as pretentious as her friend who insists the pastry is pronounced "kwah-sahn."
South African here. I pronounce it Zeh-bra . So not using the American zee.
Zeb-rah, as was how everyone across southern Africa says it. My partner and I always say "Debra the Zebra" after saying zebra. The places that have zebras says it like that... Maybe they know better.
In the US I don't try and make people worry about it that much and usually use their strange word.
Canada, rhymes with Debra. Mind you my mom was British so that may have been why I say it that way.
Sweden: the e is more akin to the sound in the word ear, but I don't really know how to phoneticize it in English properly.
Canada: I don't know, they both seem pretty normal to me. We don't say "zebra" too much around here. I just typed "zerba" and feel like I should say it like that next time.
My country pronounces the "Z" portion as "Zee", but I say "Zee" or "Zed" depending on mood. The "bra" is pronounced "bruh". (North America)
How does zeebra not ryhme with debra already? I mean, I know english pronunciation is put through a random IPA generator before being finalized, but Wiktionary gives the same exact IPA (bɹə) for the -bra part in both words. So shouldn't they be rhyming then?
in northern ireland that's "Deeebrah"
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