What does fortuitous mean?
Word: Fortuitous
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Fortuitous means happening by chance, usually in a lucky way.
Synonyms: lucky, accidental
How do you spell fortuitous?
Syllables: for - tu - i - tous
Tricky part: The syllables run together in speech, so the i before the ending gets lost and pupils write fortutous.
Watch out for: fortutous, fortuituous, fortuitious
Memory tip: Chance made it happen, so keep the word it in the middle, just before the ending.
Fortuitous in a sentence
Example 1: It was fortuitous that the rain stopped just as the match began.
Example 2: A fortuitous phone call from my aunt solved our problem.
Example 3: Our fortuitous discovery of an old map made the project much easier.
Fun Fact
The word once meant simply by chance, lucky or not, but the sound of fortunate has been pulling it towards good luck.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are misspelt. Choose the meaning of the one spelt correctly.
1. optimistick 2. adventurus 3. fortuitous 4. couragous
a) expecting that good things will happen
b) brought about by a happy accident
c) brave in the face of danger
d) willing to try new and exciting things
Show answer
b) brought about by a happy accident. Adventurous, optimistic and courageous have each lost or gained a letter here, which leaves fortuitous.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word fortuitous as used in the sentence:
A fortuitous change in the wind carried our paper boat back to the bank.
a) recent
b) joyful
c) deliberate
d) friendly
Show answer
c) deliberate. Something deliberate is done on purpose, the reverse of a chance shift in the wind.
Mingle-Mangle
Unscramble the jumbled word in the sentence and choose the correct word:
A rottisoufu meeting at the station got my father the last seat on the train.
a) fortunate
b) fortuitous
c) virtuous
d) fortnight
Show answer
b) fortuitous. Two t's, two o's and two u's are in the scramble, and only fortuitous has them.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
f_rt_it_us
a) e,u,o
b) o,u,o
c) o,o,o
d) o,u,e
Show answer
b) o,u,o. The three gaps take o, u and o in that order.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which event is fortuitous?
a) arriving on time by leaving home early
b) finding your lost bag on a bus by chance
c) winning a race after a year of training
d) passing a test after weeks of hard study
Show answer
b) finding your lost bag on a bus by chance
2. Which saying best goes with a fortuitous event?
a) right place, right time
b) look before you leap
c) slow and steady wins the race
d) practice makes perfect
Show answer
a) right place, right time
