text: what is "ok" ? what does it stand for ?? what exactly does it signify ? okay is a term of approval or assent, often written as ok, o.k., ok, okay, okee, or more informally as simply kay, k or kk. sometimes used with other words, as in "okey, dokey". when used to describe the quality of a thing, it denotes acceptability. however, its usage can also be strongly approving; as with most slang, its usage is determined by context. it could be one of the most widely used words on earth, since it has spread from english to many other languages.  the historical record shows that "o.k." appeared as an abbreviation for oll korrect (a conscious misspelling of "all correct") in boston newspapers in 1839, and was reinterpreted as "old kinderhook" in the 1840 united states presidential election. because it is a recent word borne of word play, and because it is so widely used, "o.k." has also invited many folk etymologies. these competing theories are not supported by the historical written record, except in that folk and joke etymologies influenced the true history of the word. since the 19th century, the word has spread around the world, the "okay" spelling of it first appearing in british writing in the 1860s. spelled out in full in the 20th century, 'okay' has come to be in everyday use among english speakers, and borrowed by non-english speakers. occasionally a humorous form okee dokee (or okey dokey) is used, as well as a-ok.  according to languagemonitor.com, "o.k." is the most frequently spoken word on the planet