Soda is a sweet, fizzy drink made by mixing flavored syrup with carbonated water (water infused with carbon dioxide gas that creates bubbles). When you open a bottle of soda, you hear that characteristic psssht sound as the pressurized gas escapes, and you see bubbles rising to the surface.

In different parts of America, people use different words for the same thing: in the Northeast, people say soda; in the Midwest, many say pop; and in parts of the South, some people call any soft drink a Coke, even if it's not actually Coca-Cola. These regional differences can lead to amusing confusion when someone from Boston asks for a “soda” in Atlanta.

Common sodas include cola, root beer, lemon-lime drinks, and orange soda. The carbonation creates a tingling sensation on your tongue that people either love or find too sharp. Soda became hugely popular in America in the early 1900s when pharmacists began selling it at soda fountains, special counters where they mixed the drinks fresh. Today, most soda comes pre-mixed in cans or bottles, though some restaurants and old-fashioned ice cream parlors still serve fountain sodas.