chance
/t͡ʃɑːns/ [t͡ʃʰɑːns]noun, adjective, verb
chance is spelled C-H-A-N-C-E: 6 letters and one syllable. It appears 182 times per million words in written English, the 556th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, chance means “An opportunity or possibility” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of chance is chances.
How many letters and syllables are in chance?
| Letters | 6: C-H-A-N-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 182 times per million words; the 556th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is chance?
Chance appears 182 times per million words in written English, the 556th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce chance?
- UK /t͡ʃɑːns/ [t͡ʃʰɑːns]
- /t͡ʃäːns/ [t͡ʃʰäːns]
- /t͡ʃɐːns/ [t͡ʃʰɐːns]
Chance has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-chance.ogg, En-GB-chance.ogg, En-us-chance.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of chance
- chances plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- chancing participle, present
- chanced participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does chance mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An opportunity or possibility.
We had the chance to meet the president last week: we have a good/strong chance of making / to make a profit.
- 2
Random occurrence; luck.
Why leave it to chance when a few simple steps will secure the desired outcome?
- 3
The probability of something happening.
There is a 30 percent chance of rain tomorrow.
- 4
probability; possibility.
- 5
archaicWhat befalls or happens to a person; their lot or fate.
adjective
- 1
Happening by chance, casual.
verb
- 1
archaicTo happen by chance, to occur.
It chanced that I found a solution the very next day.
- 2
archaicTo befall; to happen to.
- 3
To try or risk.
Shall we carry the umbrella, or chance a rainstorm?
- 4
To discover something by chance.
He chanced upon a kindly stranger who showed him the way.
- 5
To rob, cheat or swindle someone.
The car broke down a week after I bought it. I was chanced by that fast-talking salesman.
- 6
To take an opportunity from someone; to cut a queue.
adverb
- 1
obsoletePerchance; perhaps.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Chance in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | chance , raccroc, hasard , risque |
| German | Gelegenheit, Möglichkeit, Chance, Zufall , Wahrscheinlichkeit , zufällig |
| Portuguese | chance , acaso , probabilidade, hipótese |
| Spanish | oportunidad, posibilidad, chance, chanza , azar, suerte |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does chance come from?
From Middle English chance, cheance, chaunce, cheaunce, a borrowing from Old French cheance (“accident, chance, luck”), from Vulgar Latin *cadentia (“falling”), from Latin cadere (“to fall, to die, to happen, occur”). Doublet of cadence and cadenza.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).