opional

Opional is a nonstandard spelling that is generally considered a misspelling of the English word optional. It does not appear as a recognized entry in standard English dictionaries and is not used as a formal term in grammar or style guides.

Etymology and standard forms. The correct English adjective is optional, derived from Latin optio through Old French optionel and Middle English. In Romance languages, cognates exist such as opcional in Spanish and opcional in Portuguese, which are distinct and spell with an obligatory t.

Usage notes. In most contexts, opional is treated as a typographical error. It can appear in texts produced by keyboards with auto-correct quirks, optical character recognition (OCR) errors, or by non-native writers who misplace letters. When encountered, it is generally corrected to optional to restore standard spelling and clarity.

Context in language and computing. In programming, user interfaces, and data schemas, the intended term is almost always optional, used to describe fields that may be omitted. Using opional in code or documentation can lead to confusion or misinterpretation, so editors commonly correct it to optional.

See also. Optional; spelling; typographical error; orthography. In multilingual contexts, be aware that the equivalent adjective in other languages is not a direct spelling variant of English and should be matched to the appropriate language’s conventions.