People Are Surprised to Find Out What SOS Actually Means

People Are Surprised to Find Out What SOS Actually Means

Almost everyone recognizes the distress signal “SOS.” It’s been used in movies, books, and real-life emergencies for over a century. Many people assume it stands for something dramatic like “Save Our Souls” or “Save Our Ship.” But the truth often surprises them—because SOS doesn’t officially stand for anything at all.

The Real Meaning of SOS

SOS was chosen as an international distress signal not because of words, but because of its simplicity in Morse code. In Morse, SOS is transmitted as: