1. an unexpected happening, often harmful, causing injury etc. The meaning of ACCIDENTALLY is in an accidental or unintended manner : by accident. How to use accidentally in a sentence. The adverb accidently has been in use since the 18th century. It continues to appear regularly in published writing, but it is far less common than accidentally, and it is sometimes cited as an error. Idiom accidentally on purpose (Definition of accidentally from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press) The confusion between accidently or accidentally is extremely common — but the solution is simple. Accidentally is the only correct spelling in modern English, while accidently is a spelling mistake caused by pronunciation habits. The accidentally vs accidently distinction is simple: accidentally is the standard adverb formed from accidental, meaning “by accident” or “unintentionally.” Accidently is not the accepted standard spelling in modern English. 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. ACCIDENTALLY definition: by chance or mistake; in a way that is not planned or intended. See examples of accidentally used in a sentence. How to Spell ‘Accidentally’ or Is It ‘Accidently’? According to several sources, both spellings of the word are correct and okay to use in your everyday writing. These words can also be used interchangeably since they mean the exact same thing. In this post, I will compare accidently vs. accidentally. I will outline which of these spellings is correct and showcase the correct spelling in example sentences.