this post was submitted on 13 Dec 2024
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Why do you say the letter "O" when you mean the digit "0"? (feddit.org)
submitted 5 days ago by SatyrSack@feddit.org to c/AskUSA@discuss.online
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Examples:

  • One oh two Main Street
  • Four oh seven PM
  • Biology one oh one
  • Eight six seven, five three oh nine
  • Four oh four: Not found

Not just a US thing, so I hope this is okay to ask here. I have just never encountered this is any language other than English. Is it simply that O and 0 look similar, and that "oh" has fewer syllables than "zero"? I have not heard a good explanation from coworkers who I've asked.

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[–] Wolf314159@startrek.website 13 points 4 days ago

It's shorter than saying zero and it's only ever used where context makes the it obviously not the letter. Also, almost all of the other digits are single syllables too. Seven is arguably (I'm no linguist) the only other multi-syllable digit and I think it gets a pass because it's barely more than a single syllable unless you emphasize it.