OK vs Okay | Difference & Spelling

OK and okay are alternative spellings of the same word and are both correct.

Whichever spelling you decide to use, the most important thing is to be consistent throughout your text. If you’re supposed to be following a particular style guide, make sure to check if it specifies using either “OK” or “okay.”

OK vs okay in a sentence examples
The food was OK/okay but nothing special.

Is it OK/okay if I bring a friend along?

Person A: Shall we meet outside the theater at six thirty?
Person B: OK/okay, see you there.

Okay or ok

Okay and OK are both acceptable spellings of the same word. Another, less common, spelling variant is “ok” (lowercase). You may also see it written as “O.K.” or “o.k.” in historical texts, but these spellings have become nonstandard in modern English.

Experts think that the word OK/okay probably originated in the first half of the 19th century, when people started altering the phrase “all correct” to “oll korrect” and “orl korrect” for humorous effect, leading to the initialism O.K. So, while “OK” doesn’t really stand for anything nowadays, it probably originally stood for “all correct.”

OK/okay has a variety of meanings and is mainly used in speech rather than formal writing (e.g., academic writing).

Meaning of OK/okay
OK/okay in a sentence Meaning Part of speech
Person A: Shall we start?

Person B: OK/okay.

“I agree/yes” Interjection
Was the weather OK/okay? Good or acceptable Adjective
She came third in the race, so she did OK/okay. Well or acceptably well Adverb
OK/okay, let’s start. Signaling you are going to start speaking Interjection
We need to get his OK/okay first. Approval Noun
Has he OK’d/okayed it yet? Approve Verb

Frequently asked questions about OK vs okay

What is a synonym for okay?

Synonyms for okay include “fine,” “acceptable/acceptably,” and “all right” when it is used as an adjective or adverb.

When used as a different part of speech, synonyms for okay include “yes,” “sure,” and “right” (interjection); “approval,” “consent,” and “authorization” (noun); and “approve,” “authorize,” and “sanction” (verb).

OK or okay are both acceptable ways of spelling this word.

You can use QuillBot’s free Paraphraser to help you find the best synonym for “okay” in your specific context.

Should I use ok or okay in writing?

You can spell this word OK or okay; they are both correct spellings. The important thing is to use the same spelling consistently throughout your text. If you are using a style guide, check to see if it specifies a particular spelling.

Have you tried QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you check your texts for typos and spelling errors?

Is okay a word?

Yes, okay is a word; it is an alternative spelling of the word “OK.”

You can choose to spell it OK or okay, but make sure you’re consistent throughout your text.

Why not use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to check your text for typos and spelling errors?

What is ok short for?

Ok (more commonly OK or okay) is a word in its own right. It is not short for “okay,” which is simply a different spelling of the same word.

Experts believe that the roots of this word lie in the 19th century initialism “O.K.,” which was short for “oll korrect”—a humorous alteration of the phrase “all correct.”

Is ok a word?

Yes, ok is an alternative spelling of the word “OK/okay.” But it is probably best to spell it OK or okay, as these are the most common variants.

Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you check for spelling errors in your text.

Is this article helpful?
Tom Challenger, BA

Tom holds a teaching diploma and is an experienced English language teacher, teacher trainer, and translator. He has taught university courses and worked as a teacher trainer on Cambridge CELTA courses.