Ever Wonder Where “OK” Came From? Read On to Find Out
- wendy
- May 13, 2013
- 1 min read
Ever wondered where OK came from? Or for that matter, is the correct spelling really “okay” and just “OK” for short? Or is it o.k. or O.K.?
These are things that I’ve wondered about. I know, I know. But I can rationalize it since I write and edit for a living, so it’s all good.
Anyhoo, back to the origins of OK.
Here’s a hint:
It started as a joke based on a trend of abbreviating words in the 1800s – long before its great-great-great grandchildren LOL, OMG, and BTW came along. Seems our ancestors were trendier than we thought.
Read OK’s brief story here. For those who really want to impress people with their mastery of the subject, get the full “improbable story of America’s greatest word” by Allen Metcalf here.
OK?
Then let me know how much smarter you feel or who you impressed with your word history wizardry. 🙂
Photo Credit: Horia Varlan via Compfight cc
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