Fortuitous is an adjective meaning happening by chance in a lucky or beneficial way; it also refers to something that is providential or fortunate. It often describes events that seem serendipitous, with a positive outcome that was not planned. In everyday usage, it can imply favorable coincidence rather than deliberate design.
US - rhotic /r/ can influence vowel length before r, rhoticity slightly affects the quality of /ɔː/; UK - more clipped intonation, /ɔː/ tends to be longer, non-rhotic; AU - blend between US/UK, non-rhotic tendencies common. Vowel: /ɔː/ in US/UK; /ɔː/ similar in AU; /tuː/ often realized as /tjuː/ in some speakers. Consonants: final /təs/ with a light /s/; try not to overemphasize the /t/ in connected speech.
"The timing of their meeting was fortuitous, leading to an unexpected collaboration."
"It was fortuitous that the weather held up for the outdoor ceremony."
"Her fortuitous discovery of the old manuscript changed the course of the research."
"The investors’ fortuitous return came just as the project faced a challenge."
Fortuitous comes from the Latin fortuitus, meaning happening by chance or accident, which itself derives from fors (chance) and audere (to attempt). The word entered English via Old French fortuit, and by the 16th century carried the sense of happening by luck or chance. Its meaning broadened to describe things that occur by providential chance or beneficial coincidence. The medieval and early modern usage often framed fortuitous events as fortunate alignments of circumstance rather than deliberate intention. Modern usage typically emphasizes the positive, lucky nature of events, though the word sometimes retains a slightly formal or literary tone. The evolution reflects a shift from a strict sense of chance to a more evaluative sense of luck or favorable outcome, especially in contexts like discoveries, opportunities, and outcomes that feel pleasantly accidental. First known use in English traces to the 16th century, with earlier roots in Latin and Old French that conveyed the concept of chance or accidental happenstance.
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Words that rhyme with "Fortuitous"
-ous sounds
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Pronounce as for-TYU-i-tous. IPA: US /fɔːrˈtuːɪtəs/, UK /ˌfɔːˈtjuːɪtəs/, AU /ˌfɔːˈtjuːɪtəs/. The primary stress is on the second syllable, with a clear /tuː/ or /tjʊ/ transition before the final /ɪtəs/.”,
Common errors include stressing the wrong syllable (for-TOO-i-tous or for-footi-ous) and mispronouncing the /tjuː/ cluster as /tu/ or dropping the /t/ after /tuː/. Correct it by enforcing the sequence: for + TYOO + i + təs, with clear /t/ before the /juː/ sound. Ensure the final -ous ends with /əs/ rather than a hard /ɒs/.
US tends to use /fɔːrˈtuːɪtəs/, UK often /ˌfɔːˈtjuːɪtəs/ with a stronger /tj/ blend, and AU resembles UK patterns but may have a slightly flatter vowel and stronger non-rhoticity in some speakers. The key is the /tuːɪ/ sequence and the post-tonic schwa before the final /təs/ in many pronunciations.
The difficulty lies in the /tj/ blend after the first syllable and the sequence /tuːɪ/ that isn’t common in many languages. The second syllable bears the primary stress with a tricky diphthong transition into /ɪ/ before the final /təs/. Mastery requires practicing the tight tongue position for /t/, then gliding into /juː/ or /tuː/ and finally the /ɪtəs/ ending.
Yes, the main feature is its two-syllable-to-three-syllable-behavior with a distinct secondary stress tendency in slower speech. The /tuːɪ/ cluster requires precise tongue elevation for the /tj/ alignment, and the final /ɪtəs/ reduces to a light, unstressed -ous ending in connected speech.
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