accidental

/ˌæk.sɪˈdɛn.tl̩/

//ˌæk.sɪˈdɛn.tl̩// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"accidental" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“accidental” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,277. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,277
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Pertaining to accident and not essence; thus, inessential; incidental; secondary.

Corpus desk

Index EN-accidental · accidental · English

accidental · rank #9,277 · 13 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,277
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH zoom

Nearest frequency peer: zoom (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “accidental”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “accidental” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

accidental vs accidently
80% similar
accidental vs accidentally
83% similar
accidental vs accident
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for accidental
PropertyValue
Headwordaccidental
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌæk.sɪˈdɛn.tl̩/
Letters10
Frequency rank#9,277
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “accidental”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).accidentallands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “zoom” (#9,276), “accounted” (#9,278), “wholly” (#9,275). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “accidental” is #9,277. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around accidental (IPA /ˌæk.sɪˈdɛn.tl̩/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #9,277 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for accidental, with forms such as "accdiental", "acciddental", and "accidenatl". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "accidently", "accidentally", "accident", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English accidental, from Anglo-Norman accidentel, Middle French accidentel, accidental, and their source, Late Latin accidēntālis; corresponding to accident + -al. The correct English form is accidental, spelled A-C-C-I-D-E-N-T-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pertaining to accident and not essence; thus, inessential; incidental; secondary.
  2. 2
    Pertaining to accident and not essence; thus, inessential; incidental; secondary.
  3. 3
    Adjusted by one or two semitones, in temporary departure from the key signature.
  4. 4
    Occurring sometimes, by chance; occasional.
  5. 5
    Happening by chance, or unexpectedly; taking place not according to the usual course of things; by accident, unintentional.
  6. 6
    Being a double point with two distinct tangent planes in 4-dimensional projective space.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how accidental appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The discovery was purely accidental.
  2. He was killed by an accidental gunshot.

Etymology

From Middle English accidental, from Anglo-Norman accidentel, Middle French accidentel, accidental, and their source, Late Latin accidēntālis; corresponding to accident + -al.

Synonyms

circumstantialincidentaladventitiouscasualcontingentfortuitousoccasionalserendipitousaccidentalaccidentaryby accidentby the bycauselesschanceablelippeningrandomunforeseenunintendedunintentionalunplanned

Antonyms

inevitableimpossibleintentional

This word in other languages

accidental(Español)accidentel(Français)versehentlich(Deutsch)acidental(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • accdiental
  • acciddental
  • accidenatl
  • accidenntal
  • accidentall
  • accidentla
  • accidenttal
  • accidetnal
  • accidnetal
  • acciedntal
  • acicdental
  • acidental
  • cacidental

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of accidental - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

accdiental2acciddental1accidenatl2accidenntal1accidentall1accidentla2accidenttal1accidetnal2
Edit distance from "accidental"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "accidental"?
"accidental" is spelled A-C-C-I-D-E-N-T-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌæk.sɪˈdɛn.tl̩/.
What does "accidental" mean?
As an adjective, "accidental" means: Pertaining to accident and not essence; thus, inessential; incidental; secondary.
What words are commonly confused with "accidental"?
"accidental" is commonly confused with "accidently", "accidentally", "accident". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "accidental"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "accidental" is /ˌæk.sɪˈdɛn.tl̩/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "accidental"?
From Middle English accidental, from Anglo-Norman accidentel, Middle French accidentel, accidental, and their source, Late Latin accidēntālis; corresponding to accident + -al. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "accidental", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

archbishop#9,282thoughtful#9,265coordinate#9,310reinforced#9,244

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

victories13 variantschickens13 variantsChristina13 variantscommissions13 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list