An accident is that which happens without any one's direct intention; a chance that which happens without any known cause. If the direct cause of a railroad accident is known, we can not call it a chance.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

luck I wish you the best of luck in your next endeavor.
fortune He exploited his position to build up his fortune.
happenstance Were they destined to meet, or was it just happenstance?
possibility We cannot rule out the possibility of an accident.
opportunity You had better avail yourself of this opportunity.
hint Tom gets angry at the slightest hint of criticism.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
chance		rising
luck		rising
fortune		rising
happenstance		rising
possibility		steady
opportunity		steady

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters: lot¹, hit¹, hap¹
4 letters: find¹, room¹, turn¹, test¹, risk¹, luck¹, odds¹, fool¹, hint¹, bump¹, doom¹, joss¹
5 letters: event², occur², trick¹
6 letters: happen², random², casual³, hazard², gamble², befall², betide²
7 letters: opening³, fortune², venture², destiny³, deceive²
8 letters: accident³, prospect², casualty⁴, jeopardy³, fortuity
9 letters: adventure³, encounter³, unplanned², transpire³, hapchance
10 letters: likelihood³, accidental⁴, contingent³, incidental⁴, fortuitous⁴
11 letters: opportunity⁵, possibility⁵, uncertainty⁴, probability⁵, contingency⁴, serendipity⁵, eventuality⁶
12 letters: happenstance³, potentiality

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (event² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: chance
Italiano: fortuna
Deutsch: Möglichkeit