fortuitous

/fɔːˈtjuː.ɪ.təs/

//fɔːˈtjuː.ɪ.təs// adj

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

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

The verdict

“fortuitous” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #42,648. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#42,648
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Happening by chance; coincidental, accidental.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fortuitous · fortuitous · English

fortuitous · rank #42,648 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #42,648
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH formalism

Nearest frequency peer: formalism (-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 “fortuitous”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “fortuitous” 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
Key facts for fortuitous
PropertyValue
Headwordfortuitous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/fɔːˈtjuː.ɪ.təs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#42,648
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “fortuitous”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).fortuitouslands 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 “formalism” (#42,647), “Framingham” (#42,649), “franchisee” (#42,650). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fortuitous” is #42,648. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around fortuitous (IPA /fɔːˈtjuː.ɪ.təs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #42,648 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for fortuitous, with forms such as "ffortuitous", "forrtuitous", and "fortiutous". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin fortuītus. The correct English form is fortuitous, spelled F-O-R-T-U-I-T-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Happening by chance; coincidental, accidental.
  2. 2
    Happening by a lucky chance; lucky or fortunate.
  3. 3
    Happening independently of human will.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […] and during the ten days of their stay at Hartfield it was not to be expected—she did not herself expect—that any thing beyond occasional, fortuitous assistance could be afforded by her to the lovers.
  2. ‘It is not for one, situated, through his original errors and a fortuitous combination of unpropitious events, as is the foundered Bark (if he may be allowed to assume so maritime a denomination), who now takes up the pen to address you—it is not, I repeat, for one so circumstanced, to adopt the language of compliment, or of congratulation. That he leaves…

Etymology

From Latin fortuītus.

This word in other languages

fortuito(Español)fortuit(Français)zufällig(Deutsch)fortuito(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffortuitous
  • forrtuitous
  • fortiutous
  • forttuitous
  • fortuiotus
  • fortuitosu
  • fortuitouss
  • fortuittous
  • fortuituos
  • fortutious
  • forutitous
  • fotruitous
  • frotuitous
  • ofrtuitous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of fortuitous - 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.

ffortuitous1forrtuitous1fortiutous2forttuitous1fortuiotus2fortuitosu2fortuitouss1fortuittous1
Edit distance from "fortuitous"

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 "fortuitous"?
"fortuitous" is spelled F-O-R-T-U-I-T-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /fɔːˈtjuː.ɪ.təs/.
What does "fortuitous" mean?
As an adjective, "fortuitous" means: Happening by chance; coincidental, accidental.
What are common misspellings of "fortuitous"?
Common misspellings include "ffortuitous", "forrtuitous", "fortiutous", "forttuitous", "fortuiotus". The correct spelling is "fortuitous".
How do you pronounce "fortuitous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fortuitous" is /fɔːˈtjuː.ɪ.təs/. 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 "fortuitous"?
From Latin fortuītus. 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 "fortuitous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Framingham#42,649franchisee#42,650fearlessly#42,638Gillingham#42,665

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

formalism14 variantsGilgamesh14 variantsEdmondson14 variantseastwards14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list