fortunate

/ˈfɔː.t͡ʃə.nɪt/

//ˈfɔː.t͡ʃə.nɪt// adj

"fortunate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fortunate” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,446. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,446
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Auspicious.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fortunate · fortunate · English

fortunate · rank #7,446 · 13 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,446
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH flooding

Nearest frequency peer: flooding (-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 “fortunate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “fortunate” 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).

fortunate vs fortune
78% similar
fortunate vs fortunately
82% similar
fortunate vs fortnite
78% similar

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

Key facts for fortunate
PropertyValue
Headwordfortunate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈfɔː.t͡ʃə.nɪt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#7,446
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “fortunate”

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).fortunatelands 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 “flooding” (#7,445), “fortunately” (#7,447), “explosive” (#7,444). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fortunate” is #7,446. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around fortunate (IPA /ˈfɔː.t͡ʃə.nɪt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #7,446 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for fortunate, with forms such as "ffortunate", "forrtunate", and "fortnuate". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "fortune", "fortunately", "fortnite", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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”); … The correct English form is fortunate, spelled F-O-R-T-U-N-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Auspicious.
  2. 2
    Happening by good luck or favorable chance.
  3. 3
    Favored by fortune.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It is a fortunate sign if the sun shines on a newly wedded couple.
  2. if it sits still, with its breast towards them, till they have passed, they consider it as a fortunate sign, and everything is expected to go on well during the remainder of their journey

Etymology

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.

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffortunate
  • forrtunate
  • fortnuate
  • forttunate
  • fortuante
  • fortunaet
  • fortunatte
  • fortunnate
  • fortuntae
  • forutnate
  • fotrunate
  • frotunate
  • ofrtunate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of fortunate - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ffortunate1forrtunate1fortnuate2forttunate1fortuante2fortunaet2fortunatte1fortunnate1
Edit distance from "fortunate"

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 "fortunate"?
"fortunate" is spelled F-O-R-T-U-N-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɔː.t͡ʃə.nɪt/.
What does "fortunate" mean?
As an adjective, "fortunate" means: Auspicious.
What words are commonly confused with "fortunate"?
"fortunate" is commonly confused with "fortune", "fortunately", "fortnite". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fortunate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fortunate" is /ˈfɔː.t͡ʃə.nɪt/. 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 "fortunate"?
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 for... 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 "fortunate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list