People are only just realising what RSVP means – and it's not an acronym

When you send out a letter of invitation for a wedding or large party, you'll know just how crucial an RSVP is.

The number of guests help you decide on how much food to order and chairs you'll need for the big event.

Now for years people assume RSVP is an acronym for "respond soon via post", when it's certainly not the case.

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One TikTok account answered the all-important question and it's left some users still quite baffled.

The page @artnaturals wrote "what does RSVP stand for?" to people in its office, with many struggling to get past "R".

A user wrote: "Respond very promptly," while another added: "Reservation for very important person."

Others assumed "respond soon for party", "respond soon very promptly" and "respond soon via phone".

Another person thought it had something to do with special vehicle parking.

But some knew the correct answer and said RSVP is French for "répondez s'il vous plaît" which means "please reply".

The acronym isn't complicated after all as it just means the host of the party is asking you to respond.

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But since it's in French, a lot of people tend to get quite confused by it.

The initialism "RSVP" is no longer used much in France, where it is considered formal and old-fashioned.

And it's not the only short word which recently baffled as a lot of people questioned the meaning of "Xmas".

It turns out X actually used to be a religious symbol that stands for Jesus – and it dates back to medieval times.

Meanwhile, the word "mas" is derived from the old English word for mass (a type of Church service).

So when you put the two together you get "Xmas".

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