Pop

Pop is a term that people in the northern hemisphere of the U.S. (ranging from western Pennsylvania to the Pacific) use for a carbonated soft drink. The origins of pop are varied, but many sources believe it dates back to the 1800s when opening a bottle of a carbonated soda-like beverage made a "pop" sound.

The U.S. is divided into three categories regarding the correct name for the type of beverage. While pop claims much of the northern hemisphere, the Southwest and Northeast predominantly use "soda," and the South to Southeast uses "coke" (even though an actual kind of soda is "Coke").

For example, if a Minnesotan, New Yorker, and Georgian are out to eat in California, the Minnesotan would ask for a pop, the New Yorker would ask for a soda, and the Georgian would ask for a coke. The server would probably say, "What's a pop?" to the Minnesotan and ask the New Yorker, "What kind of soda?" Then, the server would get the Georgian a Coke, even though they may have wanted a root beer.