NYT Dictionary

ACCIDENCE

/ˈæk.sɪ.dəns/

NounAC-ci-denceac-ci-dence · 3 syllablesAdvanced/Professional

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2026

Meaning

The inflection of words.

Etymology

Origin: Middle English

* First attested in the late 14th century. * (grammar): First attested in the mid 15th century. * From Middle English accidence, accidens, from Latin accidentia (“accidental matters”), from accidēns, present participle of accidere (“to happen”)

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

affix affixationconjugationcuttingdeclensionderivationformativeinfixinflectionmorpheme

NYT Puzzle Appearances

No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2026.