People are shocked to discover what o’clock actually means – so did YOU know?

People have been left stunned after learning the true meaning of the phrase ‘o’clock.’

Despite saying it constantly, it appeared some were still unaware of what the ‘o’ actually represents after a social media post about the topic went viral. 

Recently, a Threads user named @jenny_nuel1 put her followers to the test as she quizzed them about the word.

Jenny asked people whether they knew what the ‘o’ meant. 

A slew of incorrect responses poured in as it was made clear that Jenny had stumped users, so do you know what the ‘o’ in o’clock stands for? 

Jenny took to Threads to ask her followers whether they knew what the ‘o’ meant

If you guessed ‘of the clock’, then you are correct.

According to the Britannica Dictionary, ‘an apostrophe is used [after the o] because the word is a contraction of the phrase “of the clock.”‘

Many people shared their best guesses to Jenny’s question, but were ultimately incorrect. 

One person guessed: ‘Omega.’

Another user added: ‘Oh shoot I’m so late look at the clock.’

Someone else wrote: ‘Orenthal.’

‘On the clock,’ a fourth guessed. 

A user said: ‘Odee.’

Another user said it meant ‘oesophagus,’ while someone else added it meant that it was ‘beer time O’all ready.’ 

Many people shared their best guesses, but were ultimately incorrect

However, there were a few users who guessed correctly. 

Jenny’s post prompting people to beg someone to explain the origin of the term to them. 

One user claimed: ‘At the invention of the clock many people used the sun dial, so to make the distinction many people using the clock would state it’s “of the clock.”‘

The Oxford English Dictionary’s earliest evidence of o’clock being used is from 1419 in the Guildhall Letter-book. 

‘The earliest known use of the adverb o’clock is in the Middle English period (1150—1500),’ the dictionary says.