Please indicate country in your answer.
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.
Zaybra
Ditto (Dutch)
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.
Deebra
South African here. I pronounce it Zeh-bra . So not using the American zee.
Canada, rhymes with Debra. Mind you my mom was British so that may have been why I say it that way.
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.”
I’m from Ireland, and I hear both used. I personally say “Zehbra” though.
depends if they are male or female. zeebra is for females and zeebro is for males.
Bruh
Debra the woman’s name? Or the verb for removing a bra?
Woman’s name. Deb-rah. A lot of places say it like “zeb-rah”
Aren’t they pronounced the same?
Dee-bra (the verb) vs Debra, the person. That’s how it sounds
in the states, the de- prefix is either pronounced “dee” or just “d” without a vowel sound, and in both cases the emphasis is on the verb. whereas debra would be “deh-bruh” or “deb-ruh” with even emphasis
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”.
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”.
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!
That’s a good point and for language stuff we should prob get a pass, but I NEED people to stop using the fucking imperial system for such a random assortment of shit and just stick to metric lol
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
Australia: rhymes with Debra
