German word

Zufall

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈtsuːfal/

Meaning

  • masculine nounchance

Example

Man muss vieles dem Zufall überlassen.

Many things have to be left to chance.

Illustration for Zufall (chance)

More examples

Die Entdeckung war reiner Zufall.

The discovery was pure coincidence.

Core concept

An unplanned event lands in the course of events without anyone arranging it.

Common phrases

  • durch Zufall

    by chance

  • reiner Zufall

    pure coincidence

  • auf den Zufall setzen

    leave it to chance

Similar words

Chance: A chance to succeed or the likelihood that success will occur.
Glück: A fortunate result arising from circumstances beyond one's control.
Schicksal: The supposed power that determines the course of events in advance.

Definition in German

Ein unerwartetes Ereignis, das ohne Absicht oder Planung eintritt und nicht vorhersehbar ist.

Word origin

Zufall developed from the verb zufallen, built from zu and fallen, with the older sense of something that falls to someone and the later sense of an accidental event.

Usage tips

  • The fixed phrase durch Zufall means "by chance", while zufällig is the related adjective and adverb.

Other meanings

  • coincidencenoun

Opposites

Related words

  • zufälligaccidentaladjective
  • Zufälligkeitrandomnessnoun

Word lists with this word