Where Did OK Come From? A Boston Spelling Joke from 1839

Nova, our AI presenter, is AI-generated, and so is her voice.

The short answer

"OK" began as a joke. In the 1830s, Boston newspapers had a fad for comic misspelled abbreviations. The earliest known print of "o.k." is in the Boston Morning Post of 23 March 1839, which glossed it as "all correct". The joke behind the letters was "oll korrect", a deliberate misspelling of "all correct".

Why this one survived

Other abbreviations of the fad, such as K.G. ("know go") and O.W. ("oll wright"), faded. "O.K." stayed. In 1840 Martin Van Buren ran for president. He was nicknamed "Old Kinderhook" after his birthplace in New York, and supporters formed "O.K. Clubs". The same two letters now worked as a slogan, which helped spread them.

The twist

Woodrow Wilson believed "OK" came from a Choctaw word and spelled it "okeh". Nobody has found proof of that theory, and the 1839 evidence is far better documented. Van Buren lost the 1840 election. The misspelling won.

One caution: this is the best-supported account, not a certainty. Earlier uses could still turn up.

Sources

• Allen Walker Read, work on the history of "O.K.", American Speech, 1963-64 (the 1839 find)
• Merriam-Webster, "The Hilarious History of OK"
• Word Origins, "OK / okay / A-OK"
• Michigan Public, on Martin Van Buren and "OK" (23 July 2025)

Transcript

Nova: OK? Misspelled. On purpose. Boston, eighteen thirty-nine. Newspapers had a fad. Misspell a phrase, then shorten it. The Boston Morning Post prints o.k. Oll korrect. K.G., O.W., those faded. Eighteen forty. Van Buren runs for president. Nickname? Old Kinderhook. O.K. O.K. Clubs: the joke became a slogan. Twist: Woodrow Wilson believed OK was Choctaw. Nobody's found proof. Van Buren lost. The misspelling won.

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