Using a letter when it should be a number.

[simon field]

I do wonder about some strange things.

Why, when reciting a telephone number, do people suddenly inject the letter ‘O’ into it?

There’s TWO choices of number! Nought, or zero.

What’s wrong with them?

 

[Ozzy]

O I don't know, but O it does get worse when you you go Oh 1 1 1 double Zero 1 Zero 1 Oh - which I do often.

 

[AstEver]

I suspect that it is a result of people's tendency to shorten words, particularly those words which are often used. Perhaps this is why words yes and no and their equivalents in other languages are usually short.
Non-native English speakers like when people say zero instead of O.

 

[japancool]

Oh.

 

[KM-Tiger]

How would you pronounce 007?

 

[WaveJumper]

Double 0h0h licence to thrill

 

[ctrlbrk]

We all have our pet peeves. For example I cringe when I see "its" mistakenly used instead of "it's" and viceversa. But hey.

 

[mattk]

Sorry @simon field I'm one of them

I'll try and say zero from now onwards

 

[simon field]

How would you pronounce 007?

Nought Nought Seven

 

[Newchodge]

My phone number starts and ends with 0. I say Oh at the beginning and zero at the end. Does it matter? No one has ever misunderstood my phone number.

 

[Ozzy]

We all have our pet peeves. For example I cringe when I see "its" mistakenly used instead of "it's" and viceversa. But hey.

I see what you did their. Quite a mistake and it's they're mistake, but don't worry, a pat on the back and a there their.

 

[KM-Tiger]

We all have our pet peeves. For example I cringe when I see "its" mistakenly used instead of "it's" and viceversa. But hey.

I know what you mean.

My current peeve is the use of 'of' instead of 'have'. Eg 'should of' instead of 'should have'.

What's alarming is I see that more and more from otherwise well educated people who really, really should know better.

A big educational failure somewhere back down the line.

 

[Newchodge]

I know what you mean.

My current peeve is the use of 'of' instead of 'have'. Eg 'should of' instead of 'should have'.

What's alarming is I see that more and more from otherwise well educated people who really, really should know better.

A big educational failure somewhere back down the line.

My peeve as well. It is because people say 'shudve', which sounds like should of, which is obviously meaningless. I used to think that if people read more they would know it is written should've, short for should have, however I have seen it written should of so many times that I am beginning to give up.

 

[japancool]

The one I see most often on this forum is advise instead of advice, or vice versa.

 

[Deleted member 59730]

Reminds me of the time my wife and I decided to do an evening class in web design. Spent the whole of the first evening trying to get into the computer with an impossible password.

0IloOl0I00O Couldn't tell the els from the cap eyes or the zeros from the owes.

Gave up after the first night.

 

[Scalloway]

My phone number starts and ends with 0. I say Oh at the beginning and zero at the end.

Older readers my remember when a phone number was read out on Radio 1 the announcer used to say "oh one if you're outside London".

There is a Dr Lala who works at the local hospital. I kid you not - his pager number is Oh Oh.

 

[simon field]

Thanks for all you’re contributions!

 

[japancool]

Whenever I need the emergency services, I call nein, nein, nein.

 

[AW-UK]

I never really thought about it before, I usually say "oh" for the area code but as none of my numbers have a "0" in it (apart from area code) I think I say both "oh" and "zero" depending on what my brain is doing at the time if I am reciting to someone and the number has a "0" in it.

 

[Archer K9]

I do wonder about some strange things.

Why, when reciting a telephone number, do people suddenly inject the letter ‘O’ into it?

There’s TWO choices of number! Nought, or zero.

What’s wrong with them?

I always use a letter at the start of telephone number then go to zero later on in the number. no idea why i do it. Conditioning probably.