Why we say “hello” when we pick up the phone

Why we say “hello” when we pick up the phone

In the early days of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell suggested using “ahoy, ahoy” when users answered because the device borrowed so much from telegraph and nautical greetings. Meanwhile, the word “hello” had already existed in English since the early 1800s, but it was mostly used as an exclamation of surprise or to hail someone across a distance.

Around 1877, Thomas Edison, working with telephone developers, proposed that people answer their calls with “hello!” instead of using mechanical bells or “ahoy”. In a letter from August 15, 1877, he argued that a loud “Hello!” could act like a call bell and be heard clearly. Telephone-company manuals and manuals for operators began recommending “hello” as the standard greeting, and by the 1880s it had become the common way to pick up the phone.

The shift happened because “hello” was short, easy to say and already in circulation in English. It made sense for the new technology: users just needed a clear word to signal they were ready to talk. Over time, as telephone use spread around the world, “hello” travelled with it — becoming deeply associated with answering the phone in English-speaking countries and adopting into global telephone etiquette.

Today when you pick up a call and say “hello?”, you’re repeating a decision made nearly 150 years ago — a greeting chosen for clarity more than charm, and one that became universal by the twin forces of convenience and standardisation.