Acronyms rule the world in which we live. It seems like a new one is created every day. TGIF, LOL, BYOB, WYSIWYG (I had to look that one up!) It makes sense, at firs

Acronyms rule the world in which we live. It seems like a new one is created every day. TGIF, LOL, BYOB, WYSIWYG (I had to look that one up!) It makes sense, at first appearance, that SOS must also represent something. We'll tell you all there is to know about what SOS means, then.

I'm sure you've seen movies where individuals, desperate for attention, have spelled out SOS in sticks or stones on a barren island. However, why do they do this and where did the concept come from?

For more information on the surprising meaning of SOS, its history, and current usage, keep reading.

The words "save our ship" and "save our souls" are frequently misunderstood by the public. The letters, on the other hand, don't actually represent anything; individual words rather than an acronym! The phrase "send help" is more like a simple symbol that stands out.

SOS (pronounced as the letters S-O-S) is used as a distress call, signifying that someone needs assistance.

SOS is just that—SOS. It was derived from the Morse code and recognized as an international standard signaling danger or the need for aid.

It would be transmitted using wireless telegraphy as three-dots, three-dahs, and three-dots. Morse code can also be read visually by employing the same series but instead sending out brief bursts of light.

Using flags, flares, bells, and foghorns, seagoing ships developed means to visibly warn when they were in difficulty before the invention of radio transmission in the early 1890s.

The development of one's capacity to signal for help when necessary, however, was significantly aided by the introduction of radio communication, also known as wireless telegraphy. The need for a standardized version of distress came through maritime use first.

The development of one's capacity to signal for help when necessary, however, was significantly aided by the introduction of radio communication, also known as wireless telegraphy. First, maritime use created a need for a uniform definition of distress.

Initially, several rescue distress signals, such as "CQD," "SOE," and "NC," were utilized globally. The idea of sending out "SOS" in a continuous stream was first proposed in 1906, and by 1912 it had become the accepted practice all around the world.

The sequence of three dots, three dashes, and then three more dots (...- - -...) was simple to learn, easy to type, and easily recognizable. Additionally, it made it simple for the signal to be streamed constantly without any letter-order ambiguity.

Even today, persons who are in danger can create bursts of light with readily available items (using equipment like flashlights, mirrors, or glass), or when written in the sand, SOS is easily visible as an ambigram—readable both upside-down and right-side-up.

Should you find yourself in a predicament, by staying calm and using what is within your ability, know that you can signal your distress using SOS (remember 3 short - 3 long - 3 short) either visually, by sound (banging it out), or with flashes. 

By now, I'm very sure you know what SOS means and you can say it confidently. Happy reading.

What Does 'SOS' Mean? Surprisingly, It's Likely Not What You Think

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