When something happens unexpectedly—good or bad—or when life takes a strange turn, Germans call it a Zufall. It’s the word for those moments where no one was planning anything, but something happened anyway.

The noun Zufall means coincidence, chance, or accident (in the sense of happenstance), and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. It comes up in stories, conversations about fate, and even science.

It’s a masculine noun, so we say der Zufall.

Pronunciation

Zufall is pronounced [TSOO-fahl].

• Zu = like “zoo,”
• fall = like the English word “fall,”
• Stress is on the first syllable: ZU-fall

It sounds like something light dropping from the sky—which fits its meaning.

Example sentences:

• War das Zufall oder Schicksal?
  Was that chance or fate?
• Der Zufall wollte es so.
  It happened by chance. (Literally: “Chance willed it so.”)

Nuance and usage tips

Zufall comes from zufallen—to fall upon, to happen by chance. It’s all about things that aren’t planned.

1. Everyday coincidence
   • Was für ein Zufall! – What a coincidence!
   • Zufallsbegegnung – chance encounter
   • reiner Zufall – pure chance
2. Scientific / philosophical context
   • Zufallsprinzip – principle of randomness
   • Zufallsverteilung – random distribution
   • Zufallsvariable – random variable
3. Fate or fortune
   • Der Zufall spielt oft eine große Rolle im Leben.
     “Chance often plays a big role in life.”

Its antonym could be Absicht (intention, feminine) or Plan (plan, masculine).

Grammatical case examples:

• Nominative: Der Zufall brachte uns wieder zusammen.
  Chance brought us together again.
• Accusative: Ich glaube nicht an den Zufall.
  I don’t believe in coincidence.
• Dative: Mit dem Zufall hatte das nichts zu tun.
  That had nothing to do with chance.
• Genitive: Wegen des Zufalls kam alles anders.
  Because of chance, everything turned out differently.

Masculine case pattern: der, den, dem, des

Word variations and language tidbits

Variation Station:

• zufällig – by chance / coincidental
• Zufallsprodukt – product of chance
• Zufallsfund – accidental discovery
• Zufallsprinzip – randomness principle
• Zufallsgenerator – random number generator

Fun idiomatic note:
The phrase Was für ein Zufall! is used just like in English: when you bump into someone unexpectedly, or something lines up oddly, often with a knowing smile.

📘 Duden entry: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Zufall

🎥 Learn Zufall and the rest of the top 1000 German nouns in our free online video course:
https://deutschable.com/nouns/

Alternate translations note:
For accident in the sense of an unfortunate event (like a car crash), Germans use Unfall. For luck, Glück fits better. But for unexpected coincidences, random events, or unintended meetings, Zufall is your go-to.

Ready for more German words of the day? Do you know what Zug means? How about Zunge? Find out!