People are shocked when they discover what the hour actually means. Did you know?

People are left baffled after discovering the true meaning of the phrase ‘o’clock’.

Despite repeating it over and over again, some still seem to be confused about what the ‘o’ actually means, after a social media post on the topic went viral.

Recently a Threads user named @jenny_nuel1 tested her followers by asking them questions about the word.

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

A lot of incorrect answers came in when it became clear that Jenny had offended users. Do you know what the ‘o’ in o’clock stands for?

People on the web were shocked to discover the true meaning of the phrase ‘o’clock’

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

If you guessed “of the clock”, you’re correct.

According to the Britannica Dictionaryan apostrophe is used [after the o] because the word is a contraction of the expression “of the clock”.

Many people gave their best guess on Jenny’s question, only to be proven wrong.

One person guessed, “Omega.”

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

Someone else wrote: ‘Orenthal.’

“On time,” guessed a fourth.

One user said: ‘Odee.’

Another user said it meant “esophagus,” while someone else added that it’s “beer time, O’all ready.”

Many people shared their best guesses, but ultimately turned out to be incorrect

However, there were a few users who guessed correctly.

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

One user claimed: ‘When the clock was invented, many people used the sundial, so to make the distinction, many people who use the clock would say it is “from the clock.”‘

The Oxford English DictionaryThe earliest evidence of ‘oclock’ being used is from 1419 in the Guildhall Letter-book.

According to the dictionary, the adverb o’clock was first used in the Middle English period (1150-1500).