Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

accident

/ˈæk.sə.dənt/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.71 in modern English

Syllables
ac-cid-ent
IPA
/ˈæk.sə.dənt/
13
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An unexpected event with negative consequences occurring without the intention of the one suffering the consequences, and (in the strict sense) not directly caused by humans.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

An unexpected event with negative consequences occurring without the intention of the one suffering the consequences, and (in the strict sense) not directly caused by humans.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A collision or crash of a vehicle, aircraft, or other form of transportation that causes damage to the transportation involved; and sometimes injury or death to the transportation's occupants or bystanders in close proximity. (but see Usage notes)

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Any chance event.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Chance; random chance.

Uncountable

noun

Any property, fact, or relation that is the result of chance or is nonessential or nonsubstantive.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Any property, fact, or relation that is the result of chance or is nonessential or nonsubstantive.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

An instance of incontinence.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *ḱad- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *ḱádeti Proto-Italic *kadō Latin cadō Latin accidō Proto-Indo-European *-onts Latin -ns Latin accidēnslbor. Old French accidentbor. Middle English accident English accident First attested in the late 14th century. From Middle English accident, from Old French accident, from Latin accidēns, present active participle of accidō (“happen”); from ad (“to”) + cadō (“fall”). See cadence, case. In the sense “unintended pregnancy”, first attested in 1932.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *ḱh₂d-, accident, accidēns

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈæk.sə.dənt/
  • British English: /ˈæk.sɪ.dənt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

accidents (plural)

Derived Forms

accidental accidentality accidentally accidentary accidently accidentologist accidentology malaccident nonaccident POLAC postaccident snaccident

Phrases

accident and emergency accident blackspot accident insurance accident neurosis accident of birth accident-prone accident rate accident waiting to happen

Frequently Paired Words

circumstance coincidence happenstance accidental accidentally act of God Accident The Accident

Synonyms

accidens accidental mishap befalling chance contingency casualty fortune luck casus accident fortuity

Antonyms

intention inevitability impossibility

Questions

How do you pronounce accident?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈæk.sə.dənt/.
What does accident mean?
An unexpected event with negative consequences occurring without the intention of the one suffering the consequences, and (in the strict sense) not directly caused by humans.
Where does accident come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce accident

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “accident”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈæk.sə.dənt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “accident”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “accident” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.