- "Accidently" is the incorrect spelling of "accidentally."
- "Accidentally" is an adverb derived from the noun "accident," denoting an unintended or unexpected event.
✅ While cooking dinner, she accidentally spilled the salt into the pot instead of the sugar, resulting in an unexpectedly savory twist to the dessert.
In this sentence, "accidentally" means that the act of spilling the salt into the pot was unplanned and unintentional. It highlights that the spillage was a mistake or a chance occurrence, leading to an unintended flavor outcome in the dessert.
Accidentally is the adverb of accident.
Accident
Parts of speech: Noun
1. An unfortunate event that happens unintentionally and typically results in harm, injury, damage, or loss:
- "The car accident caused several injuries and totaled both vehicles."
2. An unexpected event or one without an apparent cause:
- "Their early arrival was just an accident."
3. (Informal) A misfortune or mishap, esp. one causing injury or death:
- "He had a nasty accident involving a power tool and needed stitches."
4. (Technical) An unplanned event that disrupts the normal course of action, often in a complex system:
- "A software accident caused the website to crash and lose data."
5. (Logic and Philosophy) A nonessential attribute or characteristic of something (as opposed to substance):
- "Accidental properties are those that could be different and still have the thing remain essentially the same."
6. (Metaphysics) A property as contrasted with the substance in which it inheres:
- "Accidents are temporary and changeable, while substance is permanent and essential."
7. (Geology) A surface irregularity, usually on a small scale, the reason for which is not apparent:
- "The landscape was dotted with numerous geological accidents, like crevices and ridges."
How to spell Accident
The word "accident" is spelled as A-C-C-I-D-E-N-T.
Examining the graph below, we can see that "accidentally" has occurred more frequently than "accidently."
How do we pronounce accidentally?
In American English, "accidentally" is pronounced ak·suh·den·tuh·lee.
In British English, "accidentally" is pronounced ak·suh·den·tuh·lee.
These are just the standard pronunciations, and there may be slight variations depending on regional accents and individual speech patterns.
🖊️ Oopsie Meaning and Examples
🖊️ Errs Meaning and Examples: Is It Even a Word?
Why does the misspelling of accidentally as accidently occur?
Phonological similarity: The pronunciation of "accidently" can sometimes sound similar to the correct "accidentally," with the stress falling on the second syllable and the slight glide between the "t" and "l" sounds. This similarity can lead to confusion and mistaken spelling, especially during casual speech or quick writing.
Other common misspellings of accidentally
Apart from "accidently," another common misspelling of "accidentally" is "accidentaly."
Example sentences for the misuse of the word accidentally as accidently
- "I stumbled upon the information accidently" - Oops! It seems I stumbled upon the wrong spelling. The correct term is "accidentally."
- "He typed out the message accidently" - A typo slipped in! It should be "accidentally" with two 'l's for the correct spelling.
- "She made the discovery accidently" - Not intentionally misspelled, but the correct spelling is "accidentally," with a double 'l.'
- "I hit the wrong key and wrote it accidently" - A keyboard mishap! The proper spelling is "accidentally."
- "The document was saved accidently" - A small error in saving, but the correct spelling is "accidentally" for precision in writing.
Example sentences of accidentally
- She accidentally bumped into her friend at the grocery store and was pleasantly surprised by the unexpected encounter.
- While trying to fix the broken shelf, he accidentally knocked over a stack of books, creating a mess in the room.
- The child accidentally spilled juice on the table while reaching for a snack, causing a minor household mishap.
- Despite her best efforts, she accidentally sent the email to the wrong recipient, leading to a moment of embarrassment.
- Walking in the dark, he accidentally tripped over a misplaced toy, highlighting the importance of keeping a tidy living space.
Synonyms of accidentally
- Unintentionally
- Inadvertently
- Unexpectedly
- Unwittingly
- Mistakenly
- Incidentally
- by chance
- casually
- haphazardly
- inadvertently
Want to sound like a native speaker?
Engram’s AI-powered grammar checker makes your English sound like a native speaker’s, suggesting natural English expressions on top of fixing grammar, spelling, punctuation, word order, and vocabulary.
References: