OK Day for the year 2024 is celebrated/observed on Thursday, March 23rd. There are until the next observance.

OK Day, a global festival observed on March 23 each year, gives the modest ‘OK’ (or whatever you spell it) a chance to shine. The purpose of the day is to recognize the value of this evergreen noun/verb/adjective/adverb/interjection, which is so popular that it has long crossed the language barrier. It’s not unusual to hear a French, Korean, or other non-English speaker casually insert a ‘okay’ while speaking in their own tongue. On this day, the world honors what is probably its most-used word.

πŸ“† When is OK Day?

This year, OK Day is on March 23rd. It is the 4th Thursday in March; in 2024, it is on Saturday.

Countdown to OK Day

β†’ Did you know: Most people think that the word “okay” came into use about 150 years ago, which would make it a relative newcomer to the English language.

You can also see all exciting things you didn’t know about and facts about March 23, 2023.

πŸ“œ History of OK Day

What we do know is that this term first appeared in print when an entrepreneurial Boston Morning Post editor took a sarcastic poke at his counterpart. He purposefully misspelled ‘all correct’β€”’all korrect’β€”to make the acronym ‘O.K.’ Then, unexpectedly, this slang term became a part of the American vernacular, but it hadn’t yet reached uber-popular status.

The reason so many people incorrectly assume “OK” was the product of a political slogan is due to the fact that we are currently living in a historical period where this is the case. Martin Van Buren, the 1840 presidential candidate, coined the phrase “Vote for OK,” which gave the globe a brighter stage to shine on. However, the “OK” used here was Van Buren’s nickname, “Old Kinderhook,” which related to his hometown of Kinderhook, New York. The Whigs, his opponents in this contest, went even farther, slandering Van Buren’s mentor, Andrew Jackson, by stating that he used “OK” instead of “all correct” because he couldn’t spell. They also said that he signed documents in this manner for the same reason. These false allegations sank Van Buren’s reelection campaign but did wonders for the word’s popularity. Over the next few decades, papers were signed with an “OK” to signify that they were correct, and even telegrams used this slang term, despite the fact that many notable writers objected to its use. However, the growth of this term was unstoppable, and it finally attained global awareness.

Allen Walker Read, an American etymologist, was as captivated by this word as the rest of the world and investigated all of the legends surrounding its derivation. He settled on an 1839 Boston Morning Post article as the origin of “OK.” He published his findings in a series of essays between 1963 and 1964. While individuals continue to argue these findings, one thing is certain: OK is here to stay, and we are perfectly OK with it.

β˜‘οΈ OK Day facts

βœ… O.K. Clubs
To promote Van Buren’s political endeavors, his supporters established OK Clubs in New York and around the country.

βœ… The ‘okay’ hand gesture
The 1840 presidential election also gave us the “okay” hand gesture of making a rough circle by connecting the index finger to the thumb and raising the remaining fingers in the air.

βœ… Another day, another slang term
Okay appears to have spawned a number of slang terms, including “oki doki,” which was initially popularized in the 1994 film “The Little Rascals.”

✨ Things to do on OK Day

⚑ Take a quick vocabulary check
If you haven’t kept track of how many times you say “okay,” now is the moment. Take some time to observe how you use this term, the context in which you use it, and the conditions in which you use it. We think this is a terrific way to honor the word while also measuring your speech habits.

⚑ Play a little game
While we do use this term frequently, there’s no reason we can’t find alternative words to communicate “okay.” Can you think of any others? There’s the ‘thumbs-up’ gesture, the head nod…

⚑ Explore every meaning of this word
Check to see whether loved ones are safe. Quickly approve pleasant arrangements or get-togethers with others. Do more than “okay” at work. Okay, here are our recommendations β€” now go ahead and make your own.

πŸ“… OK Day Observances

YEAR DATE DAY
2024 March 23 Saturday
2025 March 23 Sunday
2026 March 23 Monday
2027 March 23 Tuesday
2028 March 23 Thursday

Learn all March holidays, including Fun and other Appreciation holidays.

We will continue to update this page with new information and fun facts about OK Day. So be sure to check back soon.