OK facts for kids

OK (okay) is a word in the English language. It is used to mean that something is good or correct.

It can often be used instead of the word Yes. It is not certain where the word "OK" originally comes from, but some experts say it came from a funny way of writing "Ol Korrect" (All correct).

It is also the two-letter abbreviation for the state of Oklahoma in the United States of America.

You also find the phrase "Ola kala" in Greek, which means something like "Everything fine".

Background

The term appears to have achieved prominence in the United States in 1840, when supporters of the American Democratic political party claimed during the 1840 United States presidential election that it stood for "Old Kinderhook," a nickname for a Democratic presidential candidate, Martin Van Buren, a native of Kinderhook, New York. "'Vote for OK' was snappier than using his Dutch name." In response, Whig opponents attributed OK, in the sense of "Oll Korrect," to Andrew Jackson's bad spelling. The country-wide publicity surrounding the election appears to have been a critical event in okay's history, widely and suddenly popularizing it across the United States.

Images for kids

Okay sign
A Facebook modal dialog box using the spelling Okay