Soda, Pop or Coke Depends Where You Are
Sodas are sweet fizzy drinks. What Americans call them varies sharply by region, and the map is famous.
Sodas are sweet carbonated soft drinks, the plural of *soda*. The word splits America into three: the northeast and west coast say *soda*, the midwest and northwest say *pop*, and much of the south says *coke* for any brand, so a waiter may ask what kind of coke you want. Linguists have mapped the boundaries in detail and they hold remarkably firm. Britain says *fizzy drink* or *soft drink*, and *soda* there usually means soda water alone.
- Fizzy soft drinks. *Two sodas, please.*
- Pop — the midwestern term. *A bottle of pop.*
- Coke — the southern generic. *What kind of coke?*
- Fizzy drink — the British term. *A fizzy drink.*
- Soda water — carbonated water. *Soda water.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | soda | A soda. |
| Plural | sodas | Two sodas. |
| Compound | soda water | Soda water. |
| Compound | baking soda | Baking soda. |
| Medieval Latin | soda | A plant. |
- He ordered two sodas with ice.Drinks.
- In Ohio they say pop.Regional.
- Baking soda is a different thing.Chemistry.
What Americans call it, by region
- Soda — northeast, California, Florida, St Louis
- Pop — midwest, Great Plains, Pacific northwest
- Coke — most of the south, whatever the brand
- Tonic — parts of eastern New England, now fading
- The boundaries have been mapped repeatedly and change slowly
Medieval Latin *soda*, a plant burnt to produce sodium carbonate, possibly from Arabic *suwwad*, a saltwort plant.
Why do southerners call everything coke?
Coca-Cola was invented in Atlanta and dominated the region so thoroughly that its name became the generic term for any fizzy drink.
Is baking soda the same word?
Yes, from the same Latin term. It refers to sodium bicarbonate, not to a drink.