fortunate
for·tu·nate/ˈfɔɹ.t͡ʃə.nɪt/adjective
fortunate is spelled F-O-R-T-U-N-A-T-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables (for·tu·nate). It appears 9.3 times per million words in written English, the 7,445th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, fortunate means “Auspicious” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in fortunate?
| Letters | 9: F-O-R-T-U-N-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: for·tu·nate |
| In writing | 9.3 times per million words; the 7,445th 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 fortunate?
Fortunate appears 9.3 times per million words in written English, the 7,445th 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 fortunate?
- UK /ˈfɔː.t͡ʃə.nɪt/
- UK /ˈfɔː.t͡ʃə.nət/
- US /ˈfɔɹ.t͡ʃə.nɪt/
Fortunate has 3 syllables, split for·tu·nate in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-fortunate.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with fortunate?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as fortunate from its last stressed vowel (/ɔɹtʃənɪt/):
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 fortunate
- more fortunate comparative
- most fortunate superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fortunate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Auspicious.
It is a fortunate sign if the sun shines on a newly wedded couple.
- 2
Happening by good luck or favorable chance.
Patrick was the unlikely match-winner as Berkeley earned a fortunate victory over Chisolm.
- 3
Favored by fortune.
We were fortunate not to be fined for speeding.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fortunate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | glücklich , günstig, verheißungsvoll |
| Portuguese | propício , afortunado, sortudo, feliz |
| Spanish | afortunado , propicio, favorable , fortunado (disused) |
| French | fortuné |
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 fortunate come from?
From Middle English fortunat(e) (“fortunate”), from Latin fortūnātus, from fortūna (“fortune, luck”) + -ātus (adjective-forming suffix), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix). See also Middle English fortunaten (“to assure the success (of), make fortunate”); cognate with French fortuné (“lucky”). By surface analysis, fortune + -ate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).