fortuitous
for·tu·it·ous/foɹˈt(j)uətəs/adjective
fortuitous is spelled F-O-R-T-U-I-T-O-U-S: 10 letters and 4 syllables (for·tu·it·ous). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,680th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, fortuitous means “Happening by fortune or chance; accidental, coincidental” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in fortuitous?
| Letters | 10: F-O-R-T-U-I-T-O-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: for·tu·it·ous |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 42,680th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is fortuitous?
Fortuitous appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,680th 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 fortuitous?
- UK /fɔːˈtjuːɪtəs/
- UK /-ˈt͡ʃuː-/
- US /foɹˈt(j)uətəs/
Fortuitous has 4 syllables, split for·tu·it·ous in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-fortuitous.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with fortuitous?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as fortuitous from its last stressed vowel (/uətəs/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of fortuitous
- more fortuitous comparative
- most fortuitous superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fortuitous mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Happening by fortune or chance; accidental, coincidental.
- 2
Happening by good fortune or success; fortunate, lucky.
- 3
Happening independently of human control; uncontrollable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fortuitous in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | fortuit, fortuite |
| German | unvorhersehbar, zufällig , durch glücklichen Zufall (einen), glücklich, glücklicherweise |
| Portuguese | fortuito , afortunado |
| Spanish | fortuito |
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 fortuitous come from?
Learned borrowing from Latin fortuītus (“happening by chance, accidental, random, fortuitous”), from *fortu- (“chance, fortune, luck”) + -ītus (suffix forming adjectives). *Fortu- is thought to be from *fortus, from fors (“chance, luck”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to bear, carry”)) + -tus (suffix forming action nouns). Doublet of fortuity.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).