accidentally

/ˌæk.sɪˈdɛnt(ə)li/

//ˌæk.sɪˈdɛnt(ə)li// adv

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

"accidentally" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“accidentally” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,911. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,911
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In an accidental manner; by chance, unexpectedly.

Corpus desk

Index EN-accidentally · accidentally · English

accidentally · rank #4,911 · 15 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,911
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH worlds

Nearest frequency peer: worlds (-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 “accidentally”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “accidentally” 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).

accidentally vs accidently
83% similar
accidentally vs accidental
83% similar

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

Key facts for accidentally
PropertyValue
Headwordaccidentally
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˌæk.sɪˈdɛnt(ə)li/
Letters12
Frequency rank#4,911
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “accidentally”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “worlds” (#4,910), “affordable” (#4,912), “Utah” (#4,909). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “accidentally” is #4,911. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around accidentally (IPA /ˌæk.sɪˈdɛnt(ə)li/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #4,911 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for accidentally, with forms such as "accdientally", "acciddentally", and "accidenatlly". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "accidently", "accidental", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From accidental + -ly. The correct English form is accidentally, spelled A-C-C-I-D-E-N-T-A-L-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In an accidental manner; by chance, unexpectedly.
  2. 2
    Unintentionally.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He discovered penicillin largely accidentally.
  2. He accidentally exposed the bacteria to mold spores.

Etymology

From accidental + -ly.

Synonyms

accidentallyadventitiouslyby accidentby chancefortuitouslyon accident

Antonyms

intentionallydeliberatelydesignedlyon purposepurposelyadvisedlyby choiceby designadvertentlyconsciouslyknowinglypurposefullyselfconsciouslystrategicallystudiouslyvolitionallyvoluntarilywilfullywith awarenesswittingly

This word in other languages

accidentalmente(Español)accidentellement(Français)zufällig(Deutsch)acidentalmente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • accdientally
  • acciddentally
  • accidenatlly
  • accidenntally
  • accidentallyy
  • accidentaly
  • accidentalyl
  • accidentlaly
  • accidenttally
  • accidetnally
  • accidnetally
  • acciedntally
  • acicdentally
  • acidentally
  • cacidentally

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of accidentally - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

accdientally2acciddentally1accidenatlly2accidenntally1accidentallyy1accidentaly1accidentalyl2accidentlaly2
Edit distance from "accidentally"

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 "accidentally"?
"accidentally" is spelled A-C-C-I-D-E-N-T-A-L-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌæk.sɪˈdɛnt(ə)li/.
What does "accidentally" mean?
As an adverb, "accidentally" means: In an accidental manner; by chance, unexpectedly.
What words are commonly confused with "accidentally"?
"accidentally" is commonly confused with "accidently", "accidental". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "accidentally"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "accidentally" is /ˌæk.sɪˈdɛnt(ə)li/. 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 "accidentally"?
From accidental + -ly. 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 "accidentally", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

subsequently#4,899demonstrated#4,936transactions#4,991unemployment#4,994

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

unexpected15 variantssubstance15 variantsregulatory15 variantsdevelopers15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list