# canonical

> English word · Adjective · IPA /kəˈnɒn.ɪ.kəl/ · frequency rank #19,039

## Definitions
1. Present in a canon, religious or otherwise.
2. According to recognised or orthodox rules.
3. Stated or used in the most basic and straightforwardly applicable manner.
4. Prototypical.
5. In conformity with canon law.
6. In the form of a canon.
7. Of or pertaining to an ecclesiastical chapter.
8. In canonical form.
9. Distinguished among entities of its kind, so that it can be picked out in a way that does not depend on any arbitrary choices.
10. Related to or part of the canon of a fictional universe.

## Etymology
From Middle English canonycal, from Medieval Latin canōnicālis. By surface analysis, canon + -ical.

## Easily confused with
- **conical** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/canonical-vs-conical)
- **cannibal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cannibal-vs-canonical)

## Common misspellings (13)
`acnonical`, `cannoical`, `cannonical`, `canoincal`, `canoncial`, `canoniacl`, `canonicall`, `canoniccal`, `canonicla`, `canonnical`, `caonnical`, `ccanonical`, `cnaonical`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/canonical