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How did SOS originally come to mean a distress call?

Question #151653. Asked by BigTriviaDawg.
Last updated Aug 23 2024.
Originally posted Aug 23 2024 8:21 PM.

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psnz star
Answer has 5 votes
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psnz star
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1007 replies avatar

Answer has 5 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
The letters were originally chosen for their simplicity in Morse code, with dot-dot-dot (S) and dash-dash-dash (O) being easy to transmit. As a Morse code distress signal, the SOS sequence is transmitted as an unbroken sequence with no spaces between the letters.

A common misconception is that SOS was an acronym for "Save Our Souls" or "Save Our Ship." While this was not the case, the creation of such phrases after the event is referred to in English as backronyms.

link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOS
Response last updated by psnz on Aug 23 2024.
Aug 23 2024, 8:27 PM
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