incidentally

/ˌɪnsɪˈdɛntl̩i/

//ˌɪnsɪˈdɛntl̩i// adv

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

"incidentally" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“incidentally” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,770. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,770
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
17
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In an incidental manner.

Corpus desk

Index EN-incidentally · incidentally · English

incidentally · rank #14,770 · 17 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #14,770
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH inbox

Nearest frequency peer: inbox (-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 “incidentally”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “incidentally” 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).

incidentally vs incidental
83% similar

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

Key facts for incidentally
PropertyValue
Headwordincidentally
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˌɪnsɪˈdɛntl̩i/
Letters12
Frequency rank#14,770
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “incidentally”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).incidentallylands 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 “inbox” (#14,769), “infinitely” (#14,771), “Humphrey” (#14,768). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “incidentally” is #14,770. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around incidentally (IPA /ˌɪnsɪˈdɛntl̩i/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #14,770 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for incidentally, with forms such as "icnidentally", "inccidentally", and "incdientally". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "incidental", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From incidental + -ly. The correct English form is incidentally, spelled I-N-C-I-D-E-N-T-A-L-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In an incidental manner.
  2. 2
    In an incidental manner.
  3. 3
    In an incidental manner.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Near-synonyms: coincidentally, happenstantially, circumstantially, by chance, accidentally, semirandomly, randomly
  2. Near-synonym: in passing

Etymology

From incidental + -ly.

This word in other languages

incidentalmente(Español)incidemment(Français)nebenbei(Deutsch)acidentalmente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • icnidentally
  • inccidentally
  • incdientally
  • inciddentally
  • incidenatlly
  • incidenntally
  • incidentallyy
  • incidentaly
  • incidentalyl
  • incidentlaly
  • incidenttally
  • incidetnally
  • incidnetally
  • inciedntally
  • inicdentally
  • inncidentally
  • nicidentally

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of incidentally - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

icnidentally2inccidentally1incdientally2inciddentally1incidenatlly2incidenntally1incidentallyy1incidentaly1
Edit distance from "incidentally"

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 "incidentally"?
"incidentally" is spelled I-N-C-I-D-E-N-T-A-L-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɪnsɪˈdɛntl̩i/.
What does "incidentally" mean?
As an adverb, "incidentally" means: In an incidental manner.
What words are commonly confused with "incidentally"?
"incidentally" is commonly confused with "incidental". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "incidentally"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "incidentally" is /ˌɪnsɪˈdɛntl̩i/. 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 "incidentally"?
From incidental + -ly. 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 "incidentally", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

introductory#14,778discriminate#14,742ridiculously#14,828expenditures#14,530

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

disciplined17 variantscompensated17 variantsalternating17 variantsconsciously17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list