# accidental

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˌæk.sɪˈdɛn.tl̩/ · frequency rank #9,277

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

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

## Easily confused with
- **accidently** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/accidental-vs-accidently)
- **accidentally** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/accidental-vs-accidentally)
- **accident** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/accident-vs-accidental)

## Common misspellings (13)
`accdiental`, `acciddental`, `accidenatl`, `accidenntal`, `accidentall`, `accidentla`, `accidenttal`, `accidetnal`, `accidnetal`, `acciedntal`, `acicdental`, `acidental`, `cacidental`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/accidental