Soda or Pop?

[Silver-Fox]

We call it "soda" around where I live but growing up we also had "tonic" and "soft drink". Once had a friend order "tonic" as a drink and the guy at the counter handed him a bottle of hair tonic.

[jd812]

i grew up in southrn indiana and everyone i knew growing up called it pop. I moved to northern kentucky a few years ago and people i have met since moving here all call it soda so...

[Surfd]

Canadian here (from the Southern Ontario area).

Generally it is called a Pop here (as in, "can you grab me a pop from the fridge"). To me, "soda" is soda water (Ie, the stuff you mix with flavour syrup to MAKE pop).

Most of the time though, you call it by the brand name (Ie, I want a Coke, or a Pepsi, or a Sprite, etc).

---------- Post added 2013-01-04 at 01:25 PM ----------

Ya at restaurants when they ask me what i would like I'll be like "Coke" and every time they respond "Is Pepsi alright?" Yes. It is alright.

This is likely because their restaurant may only serve carbonated drinks from one specific "family" supplier. If they only serve the Pepsi family of products, then when you ask for Coke (a cola) they will ask if Pepsi is ok, because Pepsi is the cola drink in the Pepsi family of drinks. Same way Sprite and 7-Up are competing brands in their families.

[Ave07]

Fizzy drink!

[Deleted]

I'm not from the US but I've heard the word soda more oftehn than pop coming from Americans.

I personally prefer hearing soda though.

[Kisho]

As far as I know, we in the UK generally call things by their brand name. If we use a generic term, it's 'fizzy drink'.

This is of course based on my relatively tiny sample size.

[Deleted]

I come from Scotland, and we have 2 words for "soda", and that would be "juice" or "ginger", inb4 'haha ginger'.
I live in Denmark, they call it 'sodavand', so i've actually started calling it 'soda' sometimes when speaking English.
But since this is about America, if a Scottish person said to me "what do they call ginger in America?", i'd say 'Soda', definitely, hence voted Soda.

[yetgdhfgh]

I come from Scotland, and we have 2 words for "soda", and that would be "juice" or "ginger", inb4 'haha ginger'.
I live in Denmark, they call it 'sodavand', so i've actually started calling it 'soda' sometimes when speaking English.
But since this is about America, if a Scottish person said to me "what do they call ginger in America?", i'd say 'Soda', definitely, hence voted Soda.

The only soda guys from scotland know is IRN BRU

They know no other

[Deleted]

Hey guys, so i'm from New York and everyone here calls soda "soda." I was talking to my cousin from Minnesota on the phone and i don't remember how it got brought up but he said something to the effect of "let me go grab a pop." I knew they called soda a different name in Europe but not the U.S. So i'm wondering do you call it "Soda or "Pop" or something else entirely?

We have a different word for it here in Sweden, "läsk". A collective name for all sugary and often carbonated drinks. If we don't just call them by their brand names, which is more often the case.

[The Ogdru Jahad]

I say soda to refer to all carbonated soft drinks, always thought pop was a New England or southern thing to say.

[Reeve]

people in texas call everything coke.

I call it soda, but I come from California originally. I've never really noticed anyone ever calling it anything other than soda though.

[Gamdwelf]

I call it soda, but I come from California originally. I've never really noticed anyone ever calling it anything other than soda though.

you live in houston though, coke is less common cities and people like you are the cause. they move to a texas city from a better part of the country.

[Hraklea]

Where I live, we use "Coke" for Coke (derp) and "Soda" for lemon... in general, we use the word "refrigerante", I don't think there's an equivalent in english.

[frigoffrick]

I've only heard it called pop. Canadian here.

Same. In Manitoba it's all "pop". People will say soda just as a joke. I'm sure it's the same way all over Canada.

[Djuntas]

Never heard anyone call it anything else but "coke" or cola inn Denmark I think?

[Gamdwelf]

Never heard anyone call it anything else but "coke" or cola inn Denmark I think?

even when you are drinking pepsi, or sprite or mtn dew?

[Deleted]

...Soft drink.

...From the UK, I don't think we've ever used Soda or Pop... I think they tried to make 'pop' catch on here once in the nineties but really have you ever heard a brit say it? Sounds dumb. Soda also sounds a bit pretentious and strange when I say it, my accent makes words like that sound awkward. Got some odd looks when I dined in America when ordering (yeah I wasn't in the 'tourist areas' so it was a strange affair)

Worked in alot of places in the UK and Pop is very prevalent.

[Deleted]

I live in England (You didn't really think I lived in the Howling Fjord, did you? ) so most people where I live call it pop. Children generally call it just "Fizzy Drink". But nobody here calls it Soda. I think it's an american thing

EDIT:

As far as I know, we in the UK generally call things by their brand name. If we use a generic term, it's 'fizzy drink'.

This, actually. But what I meant before was strictly between saying soda and pop.

[Djuntas]

even when you are drinking pepsi, or sprite or mtn dew?

Hm, should have specified that yes We do specify on other labels like Pepsi, or Fanta.