The international morse code distress signal, S.O.S., is another "word" with a falseacronymicorigin. S.O.S. does not stand for Save Our Souls, Save Our Ship, Stop Other Signals, Sure Of Sinking, or any other phrase.

S.O.S. was chosen as the universal distress signal by the International Radio Telegraph Convention of July 1908 because this combination of letters, three dots followed by three dashes followed by three dots (...---...),was easy to send and easily recognized. The letters themselves are meaningless.

The first recorded mention of the false acronymic origin is in reference to the Titanic sinking of 1912, which may account for its wide spread and endurance.

Prior to 1908, the high seas distress signal consisted of the letters C.Q.D., another nonsense string, although many took it to mean Come Quickly, Danger. Use of C.Q.D. continued past 1908, and the Titanic's initial distress calls used this older signal. It was not until that ship was near sinking did the radiomen send out the new signal.