accidentally

American  

[ak-si-den-tl-ee] / ˌæk sɪˈdɛn tl i /

Sometimes accidently

adverb

1. by chance or mistake; in a way that is not planned or intended.

   If you break your key, whether accidentally or on purpose, there is a $40 charge to replace it.

2. in a nonessential or subsidiary way; incidentally.

   Philosophy is essentially a vocation, and only accidentally a profession.

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Usage

Spelling tips for accidentally The word accidentally is hard to spell because it can be hard to remember which letters are doubled and which are not. To add to the confusion, there are two possible spellings of accidentally. While less common, accidently is also an acceptable spelling of the word. How to spell accidentally: It's no accident that many animals have two eyes to see (C) And two ears to Listen (L). This reminds you that the letters c and l are doubled in accidentally, with an a in between.

Other Word Forms

• nonaccidentally adverb
• preaccidentally adverb
• pseudoaccidentally adverb
• quasi-accidentally adverb
• unaccidentally adverb

Etymology

Origin of accidentally

accidental ( def. ) + -ly

Explanation

If something happens accidentally, it didn't happen on purpose — blame it on a mistake, chance, or outside forces. There are things you mean to do, like brushing your hair or buttoning your shirt. Then there are things you do accidentally: you didn't mean for them to happen, but they happened anyway. Just about all spilled milk happens accidentally. If a surgeon leaves a scalpel in a patient, let's hope he did it accidentally. And if a football bounces off a defender into the running back's arms and he scores a touchdown, he made a great play — accidentally.

Example Sentences

An 86-year-old woman has been convicted by a fast-track court after she accidentally got one letter wrong on her car insurance papers.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

Anthropic has warned that the model — which was accidentally leaked in March and is now in limited preview to select companies — is its most powerful yet and could have serious cybersecurity ramifications.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

What’s your role in “The Miniature Wife”? I play Lindy Littlejohn, whose spouse invents technology that shrinks fresh produce and, accidentally, me.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

This could be a simple mistake of accidentally clicking “publish” over “save draft” at a CNN news desk.

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2026

There’s a tiny scar above his left eyebrow from when Avery accidentally scraped him with a stick when we were seven, and it’s pale and shiny under the overhead lights.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Related Words

• unintentionally
• unwittingly