WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Grammar Minute: What does SOS stand for?

Episode Date: April 15, 2025

What does "SOS" stand for? Learn more on today's episode of Grammar Minute!

Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we're saving the English language 60 seconds out of time. I'm Lauren Smith, and do you know what SOS stands for? Obviously, it's a cry for help, but what do those letters actually mean? Nothing. That's right. Nothing. Save Our Souls, or Save Our Ship, which is commonly thought to be what SOS stands for, are actually backronyms, meaning that they came after the abbreviation already existed. SOS is handy because it's easy to write and understand. stand in Morse code. So it was chosen somewhat arbitrarily to be as easy to use and as

recognizable as possible. SOS dates back to the early 1900s when the German government made the abbreviation a standard part of its maritime code book and it was linked to the development of radio. That's your Grammar Minute. Visit thegrammerminit.com for more tips and tricks.