Is OK a word?
On #ThisDayInHistory 1839, the initials “O.K.” are first published in The Boston Morning Post. Meant as an abbreviation for “oll korrect,” a popular slang of “all correct” at the time, OK steadily made its way into the everyday speech of Americans.
OK
adverb or adjective \ō-ˈkā, in assenting or agreeing also ˈō-ˌkā\
Popularity: Top 40% of words
Simple Definition of OK: fairly good : not very good or very bad : acceptable or agreeable: not ill, hurt, unhappy, etc.
Source: Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary
OK is listed as a word at .merriam-webster.com/dictionary
More Info:
www.history.com
What are your thoughts on this subject?
211 Comments
Val Sweet
Why won't Scrabble, Words With Friends etc allow it if it's a word
Ryan Fischer
Thought it was contraction for okay
Diane O'Farrell
It is not a word it is an abbrevaition of a word no wonder the schools turn out such morons.
Jeff Brobeck
okey dokey
William Laughlin
Diane O'Farrell
It is now considered a word. It has been for some time and can be found in dictionaries. Language is a fluid thing and it grows and changes with time and popular usage. This is one of the features of the English language that make it so versatile and popular worldwide. English continues to grow and often borrows words from other languages when there is no suitable word in English and that is OK.
Liz Hood
No, it is an abreviation of okay.
Marianne Frederick Halterman
o k is two letters, "Okay" is the word. O K is slang, not acceptable to Miriam Webster!
illonabird
JanetLMatthews, I was under the impression that ok was an abbreviation for okay.
Joan McLeod
Okay is a word but ok is not.
Carroll Price
AOK (all OK) is even better.
Kat
Okay is a word. OK is not. I cannot agree with this answer, no matter what a certain dictionary might say.
nrudlandwood
I thought it was an abbreviation of Okay?
Derek Thurgood
another "americanism"!
Paul Weidig
That's more than one word! Also, the origin of OK is derived from "Old Kinderhook," NOT "oll korrect."
pinkley
Okay is spelled okay. Ok is not a word. At best it's an abbreviation.
Joey Kilburn
This is misleading as it's an "abbreviation"!
Paul Davies
B****Y WEBSTER COULDN'T SPELL SO HE DEVISED AN EASY OPTION.
deborahpmercer
My personal feeling is that "Okay" is, but "OK" isn't. Such things open to interpretation!
John Littlechild
It is not a word, it is an abbreviation, and an americanism at that! Slang at best.
Louella Wilson
Diane O'Farrell, don't blame schools (or teachers). It is lexicographers who make the decisions. Maybe, it's those who don't know the distinction who are the morons?
Donna Murnane
It's an acronym not a word.