Okay, OK... KK
I never really thought about the abbreviation or word before until I came across a post this morning pleading with people to stop using the last version of KK. They went on to explain how it should be "OK" and people quickly pointed out that it is spelled Okay, etc. Well, then it got interesting. The origin of "OK" isn't really known. There are several possibilities.
My favorite origin comes from Allen Walker Read who wrote about it back in 1963. He explained that it was a fad back in the 1830's and 1840's where people would intentionally misspell common phrases and use the misspelled letters in an abbreviation. He believed it to stand for misspelling "all correct" in one of three forms. "Oll Korrect", "Orl Korrect", and "Ole Kurreck".
"Okeh" is a Choctaw word which means the same as our American "OK" and is pronounced the same way. While Read rejected this origin, I think it is the most likely. Woodrow Wilson among others used this spelling.
There are other suggested origins of the word including African origins, Occitan language, French fisherman, the greek language and even initials. The more you know... because knowledge is power.