official

/əˈfɪʃ(ə)l/

//əˈfɪʃ(ə)l// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"official" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“official” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #749 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#749
frequency rank, English
8
letters
9
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of or about an office or public trust.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

official vs officials
89% similar
official vs officiate
78% similar
official vs officially
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for official
PropertyValue
Headwordofficial
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/əˈfɪʃ(ə)l/
Letters8
Frequency rank#749
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “official” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). official lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for official is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈfɪʃ(ə)l/. Corpus data places it at rank #749 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for official, with forms such as "foficial", "offciial", and "officail". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "officials", "officiate", "officially", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English official, from Old French official, from Latin officiālis, from Latin officium (“duty, service”), by surface analysis, office + -ial. The correct English form is official, spelled O-F-F-I-C-I-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or about an office or public trust.
  2. 2
    Derived from the proper office or officer, or the appropriate authority; made or communicated by authority
  3. 3
    Approved by authority; authorized.
  4. 4
    Approved by authority; authorized.
  5. 5
    Sanctioned by the pharmacopoeia; appointed to be used in medicine; officinal.
  6. 6
    Discharging an office or function.
  7. 7
    Relating to an office, especially a subordinate executive officer or attendant.
  8. 8
    Relating to an ecclesiastical judge appointed by a bishop, chapter, archdeacon, etc., with charge of the spiritual jurisdiction.
  9. 9
    True, real, beyond doubt.
  10. 10
    Listed in a national pharmacopeia.

Etymology

From Middle English official, from Old French official, from Latin officiālis, from Latin officium (“duty, service”), by surface analysis, office + -ial.

Synonyms

approvedrecognizedsanctioneddecreed

Antonyms

unofficial

This word in other languages

oficial(Español)officiel(Français)offiziell(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: foficial,offciial,officail,officcial,officiall,officila,offiical,oficial,ofifcial

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of official - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

foficial2offciial2officail2officcial1officiall1officila2offiical2oficial1
Edit distance from "official"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "official"?
"official" is spelled O-F-F-I-C-I-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈfɪʃ(ə)l/.
What does "official" mean?
As an adjective, "official" means: Of or about an office or public trust.
What words are commonly confused with "official"?
"official" is commonly confused with "officials", "officiate", "officially". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "official"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "official" is /əˈfɪʃ(ə)l/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "official"?
From Middle English official, from Old French official, from Latin officiālis, from Latin officium (“duty, service”), by surface analysis, office + -ial. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “official”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is O-F-F-I-C-I-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əˈfɪʃ(ə)l/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “officials” - see the side-by-side comparison. official vs officials
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list