# When was "World War 2" First Used?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-world-war-2-first-used/393409
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [February 23, 2007, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-world-war-2-first-used/393409 "2007-02-23T17:52:40Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 44

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-world-war-2-first-used/393409/44 "2011-05-12T22:33:56Z")

</div>

Colonel Repington’s book, _The First World War_, was published in 1920, and this seems to be the earliest popular use of the phrase.

---

_[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-world-war-2-first-used/393409)._