Pronunciation: [ˌaksɪdˈɛntə͡l] (IPA) 
The spelling of the word "accidental" follows the phonetic transcription of /æksəˈdɛntəl/. The first syllable is pronounced as "ak-suh" with a short "a" sound, followed by the second syllable "den-tal" with a stress on the second syllable. The "c" in "accidental" is pronounced as "k" because of the following "i". The word means "happening by chance or without intention" and is commonly used in the English language.
Accidental is an adjective that describes something that occurs unintentionally or by chance. It refers to an event or action that happens unexpectedly, without having been planned, foreseen, or intended.
In the context of occurrences, accidents are often perceived as negative incidents, but not necessarily so. Accidental can refer to fortuitous or fortunate events as well. For instance, finding a valuable item or stumbling upon an extraordinary opportunity may be regarded as accidental, as they were not purposefully sought after.
The term is frequently used to describe an unintentional mistake or error, such as an accidental slip of the tongue or a typographical error. Accidental in this sense signifies that the action or outcome was unintended or brought about by carelessness or lack of attention.
Accidental can also pertain to the realm of music theory. It refers to notes or symbols that don't naturally belong to a particular key signature but are temporarily added to a musical piece to produce chromatic alterations. These accidentals modify the pitch of a note, either by raising it with a sharp or lowering it with a flat sign.
Overall, accidental refers to an event or action that is not planned or intended, and occurred by chance or mistake. Whether it denotes a serendipitous discovery, an unintended error, or a temporary alteration in music, the term signifies that the outcome was not anticipated or deliberate.
• Happening by chance; casual.
• Anything non-essential.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "accidental" originated from the Latin term "accidentalis", which is derived from the noun "accidens" meaning "that which falls down". It is made up of the prefix "ad-" (meaning "to") and the verb "cadere" (meaning "to fall"). In medieval Latin, "accidentalis" referred to something incidental or non-essential, contrasting with the essential or substantial aspects of a thing. Over time, the meaning evolved to denote something happening by chance or without intention, leading to its current usage in modern English.
