Downcasting optionals in Swift: as? Type, or as! Type?

Question

Given the following in Swift:

var optionalString: String?
let dict = NSDictionary()

What is the practical difference between the following

Answer 1

To clarify what vacawama said, here is an example...

Swift 3.0:

import UIKit

let str_value:    Any   = String("abc")!
let strOpt_value: Any?  = String("abc")!
let strOpt_nil:   Any?  = (nil as String?)
let int_value:    Any   = Int(1)
let intOpt_value: Any?  = Int(1)
let intOpt_nil:   Any?  = (nil as Int?)

// as String
//str_value     as String // Compile-Time Error: 'Any' is not convertible to 'String'; did you mean to use 'as!' to force downcast?
//strOpt_value  as String // Compile-Time Error: 'Any?' is not convertible to 'String'; did you mean to use 'as!' to force downcast?
//strOpt_nil    as String // Compile-Time Error: 'Any?' is not convertible to 'String'; did you mean to use 'as!' to force downcast?
//int_value     as String // Compile-Time Error: 'Any' is not convertible to 'String'; did you mean to use 'as!' to force downcast?
//intOpt_value  as String // Compile-Time Error: 'Any?' is not convertible to 'String'; did you mean to use 'as!' to force downcast?
//intOpt_nil    as String // Compile-Time Error: 'Any?' is not convertible to 'String'; did you mean to use 'as!' to force downcast?

// as? String
  str_value     as? String // == "abc"
  strOpt_value  as? String // == "abc"
  strOpt_nil    as? String // == nil
  int_value     as? String // == nil
  intOpt_value  as? String // == nil
  intOpt_nil    as? String // == nil

// as! String
  str_value     as! String // == "abc"
  strOpt_value  as! String // == "abc"
//strOpt_nil    as! String // Run-Time Error: unexpectedly found nil while unwrapping an Optional value.
//int_value     as! String // Run-Time Error: Could not cast value of type 'Swift.Int' to 'Swift.String'.
//intOpt_value  as! String // Run-Time Error: Could not cast value of type 'Swift.Int' to 'Swift.String'.
//intOpt_nil    as! String // Run-Time Error: unexpectedly found nil while unwrapping an Optional value.

// as String?
//str_value     as String? // Compile-Time Error: cannot convert value of type 'Any' to type 'String?' in coercion
//strOpt_value  as String? // Compile-Time Error: 'Any?' is not convertible to 'String?'; did you mean to use 'as!' to force downcast?
//strOpt_nil    as String? // Compile-Time Error: 'Any?' is not convertible to 'String?'; did you mean to use 'as!' to force downcast?
//int_value     as String? // Compile-Time Error: cannot convert value of type 'Any' to type 'String?' in coercion
//intOpt_value  as String? // Compile-Time Error: 'Any?' is not convertible to 'String?'; did you mean to use 'as!' to force downcast?
//intOpt_nil    as String? // Compile-Time Error: 'Any?' is not convertible to 'String?'; did you mean to use 'as!' to force downcast?

// as? String?
//str_value     as? String? // Compile-Time Error: cannot downcast from 'Any' to a more optional type 'String?'
  strOpt_value  as? String? // == "abc"
  strOpt_nil    as? String? // == nil
//int_value     as? String? // Compile-Time Error: cannot downcast from 'Any' to a more optional type 'String?'
  intOpt_value  as? String? // == nil
  intOpt_nil    as? String? // == nil

// as! String?
//str_value     as! String? // Compile-Time Error: cannot downcast from 'Any' to a more optional type 'String?'
  strOpt_value  as! String? // == "abc"
  strOpt_nil    as! String? // == nil
//int_value     as! String? // Compile-Time Error: cannot downcast from 'Any' to a more optional type 'String?'
//intOpt_value  as! String? // Run-Time Error: Could not cast value of type 'Swift.Int' to 'Swift.String'.
  intOpt_nil    as! String? // == nil

// let _ = ... as String
//if let _ = str_value    as String { true } // Compile-Time Error: 'Any' is not convertible to 'String'; did you mean to use 'as!' to force downcast?
//if let _ = strOpt_value as String { true } // Compile-Time Error: 'Any?' is not convertible to 'String'; did you mean to use 'as!' to force downcast?
//if let _ = strOpt_nil   as String { true } // Compile-Time Error: 'Any?' is not convertible to 'String'; did you mean to use 'as!' to force downcast?
//if let _ = int_value    as String { true } // Compile-Time Error: 'Any' is not convertible to 'String'; did you mean to use 'as!' to force downcast?
//if let _ = intOpt_value as String { true } // Compile-Time Error: 'Any?' is not convertible to 'String'; did you mean to use 'as!' to force downcast?
//if let _ = intOpt_nil   as String { true } // Compile-Time Error: 'Any?' is not convertible to 'String'; did you mean to use 'as!' to force downcast?

// let _ = ... as? String
if let _ = str_value    as? String { true } // true
if let _ = strOpt_value as? String { true } // true
if let _ = strOpt_nil   as? String { true } // false
if let _ = int_value    as? String { true } // false
if let _ = intOpt_value as? String { true } // false
if let _ = intOpt_nil   as? String { true } // false

// let _ = ... as! String
//if let _ = str_value    as! String { true } // Compile-Time Error: initializer for conditional binding must have Optional type, not 'String'
//if let _ = strOpt_value as! String { true } // Compile-Time Error: initializer for conditional binding must have Optional type, not 'String'
//if let _ = strOpt_nil   as! String { true } // Compile-Time Error: initializer for conditional binding must have Optional type, not 'String'
//if let _ = int_value    as! String { true } // Compile-Time Error: initializer for conditional binding must have Optional type, not 'String'
//if let _ = intOpt_value as! String { true } // Compile-Time Error: initializer for conditional binding must have Optional type, not 'String'
//if let _ = intOpt_nil   as! String { true } // Compile-Time Error: initializer for conditional binding must have Optional type, not 'String'

// let _ = ... as String?
//if let _ = str_value    as String? { true } // Compile-Time Error: cannot convert value of type 'Any' to type 'String?' in coercion
//if let _ = strOpt_value as String? { true } // Compile-Time Error: 'Any?' is not convertible to 'String?'; did you mean to use 'as!' to force downcast?
//if let _ = strOpt_nil   as String? { true } // Compile-Time Error: 'Any?' is not convertible to 'String?'; did you mean to use 'as!' to force downcast?
//if let _ = int_value    as String? { true } // Compile-Time Error: cannot convert value of type 'Any' to type 'String?' in coercion
//if let _ = intOpt_value as String? { true } // Compile-Time Error: 'Any?' is not convertible to 'String?'; did you mean to use 'as!' to force downcast?
//if let _ = intOpt_nil   as String? { true } // Compile-Time Error: 'Any?' is not convertible to 'String?'; did you mean to use 'as!' to force downcast?

// let _ = ... as? String?
//if let _ = str_value    as? String? { true } // Compile-Time Error: cannot downcast from 'Any' to a more optional type 'String?'
  if let _ = strOpt_value as? String? { true } // true
  if let _ = strOpt_nil   as? String? { true } // true
//if let _ = int_value    as? String? { true } // Compile-Time Error: cannot downcast from 'Any' to a more optional type 'String?'
  if let _ = intOpt_value as? String? { true } // false
  if let _ = intOpt_nil   as? String? { true } // true

// let _ = ... as! String?
//if let _ = str_value    as! String? { true } // Compile-Time Error: cannot downcast from 'Any' to a more optional type 'String?'
  if let _ = strOpt_value as! String? { true } // true
  if let _ = strOpt_nil   as! String? { true } // false
//if let _ = int_value    as! String? { true } // Compile-Time Error: cannot downcast from 'Any' to a more optional type 'String?'
//if let _ = intOpt_value as! String? { true } // Run-Time Error: Could not cast value of type 'Swift.Int' to 'Swift.String'.
  if let _ = intOpt_nil   as! String? { true } // false

Swift 2.0:

import UIKit

let str:    AnyObject   = String("abc")
let strOpt: AnyObject?  = String("abc")
let strNil: AnyObject?  = (nil as String?)
let int:    AnyObject   = Int(1)
let intOpt: AnyObject?  = Int(1)
let intNil: AnyObject?  = (nil as Int?)

str    as? String // == "abc"
strOpt as? String // == "abc"
strNil as? String // == nil
int    as? String // == nil
intOpt as? String // == nil
intNil as? String // == nil

str    as! String? // Compile-Time Error: Cannot downcast from 'AnyObject' to a more optional type 'String?'
strOpt as! String? // == "abc"
strNil as! String? // == nil
int    as! String? // Compile-Time Error: Cannot downcast from 'AnyObject' to a more optional type 'String?'
intOpt as! String? // Run-Time Error: Could not cast value of type '__NSCFNumber' to 'NSString'
intNil as! String? // == nil