# official

> English word · Adjective · IPA /əˈfɪʃ(ə)l/ · frequency rank #749

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

## Easily confused with
- **officials** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/official-vs-officials)
- **officiate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/official-vs-officiate)
- **officially** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/official-vs-officially)

## Common misspellings (9)
`foficial`, `offciial`, `officail`, `officcial`, `officiall`, `officila`, `offiical`, `oficial`, `ofifcial`

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