Difference Between Soda and Pop

Soda and pop are the two general terms we use to better describe a carbonated beverage widely known as the coke. The dominant form used in the northeastern area is soda. It includes all of New York State except for the western, the Upper South and Mid-Atlantic states. The term soda is also heavily used in an area centered on St. Louis. Florida shows a concentration of soda as well, but since the communities are evenly divided between soda and coke, it is not entirely identified as soda dominant. Pop is predominant in the Midwest, extending over the Midland, the North, Canada and the northwest. The dominant forms are soda and pop, which account for over 80 percent of the population.

In the Midwestern, it’s always been pop and it always will be pop. They find soda a wrong term for the carbonated beverage because according to them, the only acceptable term for pop is pop. On the contrary, if you grew up in Southern California, it always has been soda for you and it always will be. But when you go to Missouri and ask for a soda, they look at you with a startled wide-eyed expression for about 10 seconds before saying, “Oh, you mean pop?” So, for you, it’s always soda and for them, it’s pop. So what do you call it – soda or pop?

What is Soda?

Soda is a general term used to describe a sweet, carbonated beverage or soft drink, type of a fizzy water often mixed with alcoholic drinks. The general names for the soft drinks in the United States vary according the different regions. Soda is one of the many regional terms for the carbonated beverage often used in the northeast, including the Mid-Atlantic States and the Upper South, extending southward to include eastern North Carolina. The term soda is also heavily concentrated in an area centered on St. Louis which is distinct from most Midland areas. In Atlanta, three of the four African-Americans prefer soda over coke or soft drink. Even in Columbia, two out of three African-Americans use soda as the general term. Soda is obviously the most widespread term compared to pop.

What is Pop?

Pop is yet another term used to describe a sweet, carbonated soft drink in the Midwest and Northwest dialect. Most of the Southerners, meanwhile, prefer the term ‘Coke’ over soda and pop, no matter the brand. Pop is predominant in the Midwest, extending over the Midland, the North, Canada and the northwest. It refers to a fizzy drink containing gaseous carbon-dioxide, commonly called soda pop in the United States. The name pop derived its name from the popping sound of the CO₂ escaping when you remove the cork off the bottle…well, pop. Later some people referred to carbonated soft drinks as soda, while others simply called it pop. Soft drinks containing CO₂ are called carbonated soft drinks, commonly referred to as CSDs. In West Virginia, it’s only called pop.

Difference between Soda and Pop

Name

– The great soda versus pop debate has been the most debatable topic at parties around the US. Americans are highly polarized and biased on the issue of what to call those sweet, carbonated soft drinks that everyone loves so dearly. The general names for the soft drinks in the United States vary according the different regions. Soda and pop are the two general terms used to describe a sweet, carbonated beverage or soft drink often mixed with alcoholic drinks. The name pop derived its name from the popping sound of the CO₂ escaping when you remove the cork off the bottle.

Dominance

– Soda is one of the many regional terms for the carbonated beverage often used in the northeast, including the Mid-Atlantic States and the Upper South, extending southward to include eastern North Carolina. The term soda is also heavily concentrated in an area centered on St. Louis which is distinct from most Midland areas. Pop, on the other hand, is predominant in the Midwest, extending over the Midland, the North, Canada and the northwest. Most of the Southerners, meanwhile, prefer the term ‘Coke’ over soda and pop, no matter the brand. So, what do you call it – soda or pop – depends on the region you live in.

Soda vs. Pop: Comparison Chart

Summary of Soda vs. Pop

The name soda first used in the U.S. for carbonated soft drinks and apparently derived its name from the bicarbonate of soda (sodium bicarbonate) powder also used to make beverages fizzy. The dominant form used in the northeastern area is soda. It includes all of New York State except for the western, the Upper South and Mid-Atlantic states. Pop, on the other hand, derived its name from the popping sound that comes when you remove the cork off the bottle. Pop is predominant in the Midwest, extending over the Midland, the North, Canada and the northwest. So, to answer the million dollar question – what to call it, soda or pop? – it actually depends on the region you live. If you live in Southern California, it’s always soda, and if you grew up in Missouri, pop is the only way to say it.

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