The meanings of these two terms are quite subtle. The word ‘officer’ is comparatively specific, but its meaning varies somewhat according to context: - 1. A person of any rank and either gender in the police force – so a policeman or policewoman of the lowest rank (a constable) can very properly and politely be described as a police officer. 2. A person of superior rank in the armed forces – in the British army, anyone from a Second Lieutenant to a Field Marshall 3. A person with a named function in an organisation – for example, ‘This association has three officers: Chairman, Treasurer, and Secretary.’ The word ‘official’ is rather vague, but tends to mean an employee or staff member considered to have (or pretending to have) some importance, and generally working in a senior administrative capacity.

Official usually refers to a management or supervisor position, while officer is most commonly used to refer to enforcement personnel such as policemen. Another difference is that official is more often used for civilian positions, while officer has rank or military connotations.