Why We Say "O" instead of "Zero" for Numbers

Mr. Beat explains why English speakers often say "o" instead of "zero."

Produced by Matt Beat, who, as it turns out, is Mr. Beat.

Sources/further reading:

Join this channel to get access to perks:

For business inquiries or to send snail mail to Mr. Beat:

Connect with me:

Mr. Beat’s website

Mr. Beat’s second channel

Mr. Beat's band

How to support Mr. Beat:

💰Donate to Mr. Beat for great perks on Patreon

🤑Donate to Mr. Beat on Paypal

☕Buy Mr. Beat a coffee

“Free” ways to show support:

✔️Subscribe to my channel

⏰Turn on notifications

👍Like, share, and comment on my videos

Buy Mr. Beat merch:

Buy Mr. Beat's book:

Amazon Storefront

Affiliate Links:

Useful Charts

Kids Connect

Acne fighter

#worldhistory #linguistics #history

Why do we say “O” instead of zero for numbers?

No one knows exactly when this started, but it likely goes back to the Middle Ages. During this time, people used the Latin alphabet to write numbers, and eventually they used the letter “o” to represent zero. It’s also worth noting that the English language didn’t even have a word for zero until much later than other parts of the world. When English speakers DID have a word for it, they often said “naught,” which basically means “nothing.”

I mean it means something, which is nothing. Clear as mud?

Anyway, later on, English speakers said “o” instead of zero because it looks so similar to zero, especially after telephones and typewriters became common household items. And let’s just face it, in the modern age, “o” is just a bit easier to say than “zero.” We’re lazy bums.