soh

Everyday

1. (music) The fifth note of the do-re-mi (tonic sol-fa) scale: do, re, mi, fa, soh, la, ti, do. tree →
2. (maths, SOH) The first part of SOH CAH TOA, a memory aid for trigonometry: Sine = Opposite ÷ Hypotenuse. tree →
3. (informal) «SOH» short for «sense of humour», as in dating ads. tree →

In the lessons

In music lessons «soh» is the fifth note when singing do-re-mi; British books often spell it «soh», others «so» or «sol». In older pupils' maths, «SOH CAH TOA» helps remember sine, cosine and tangent. In «The Sound of Music» the song says «So, a needle pulling thread».

Examples

• Sing up the scale: doh, ray, me, fah, soh, lah, te, doh. tree →
• Soh is the fifth note of the scale. tree →
• In "Do-Re-Mi", Maria sings that "so" is a needle pulling thread. tree →
• Remember SOH CAH TOA for your trigonometry test. tree →
• SOH: sine is opposite over hypotenuse. tree →
• Our choir warmed up by singing doh, me, soh, doh. tree →

Note

Not an everyday word on its own. Spellings vary: soh, so, sol. In maths, SOH means sin θ = opposite ÷ hypotenuse, e.g. opposite 3, hypotenuse 5 gives sin θ = 0.6.