accidentally selected

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "accidentally selected" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to something that was chosen unintentionally or by mistake. Example: "I accidentally selected the wrong file when trying to upload my document."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

About 19,000 ballots in the county were disqualified because voters had accidentally selected two candidates for president, and the marketing firm told The Associated Press that 2,400 people told its callers that they might have made a similar mistake.

The New York Times

Chronic low-grade aluminium intoxication is, however, not expected to play a role in the development of osteoarthritis, and we also consider it unlikely that our cases were accidentally selected as a result of the aluminium status of the bone.

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

This was done as we had received feedback from experts that in some cases they had accidentally selected the opposite Likert response to what they intended, but had realized this too late to undo the selection (a problem with our "unforgiving" on-line technology).

BMC Medical Education

For food frequency outliers that seemed too large to be accurate (e.g., ≥70 servings of melon per week), if the weekly frequency was greater than 21 it was divided by seven, under the assumption that the interviewer accidentally selected the adjacent unit of time, entering 'per day' instead of 'per week' (17 instances among 17 adults; 20 instances among 19 children).

Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

Because everything has to be scanned in, the picker cannot accidentally select the wrong product.

The Economist

The mobile version attempts to solve the fat-fingers-small-screen problem with a "link preview" feature that automatically zooms in on links to help users avoid accidentally selecting the wrong one.

The New York Times

In Study 1, children observed the model accidentally select a physically optimal tool for a task and then intentionally reject it for one that was functionally nonaffordant.

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology

WASHINGTON -- A Virginia Republican congressman and the state's GOP are claiming they've received reports of faulty polling machines in almost two dozen locations, with voters intending to vote Republican accidentally selecting the Democratic candidate instead.

Huffington Post

Do not accidentally select 'Format' because you will lose all of your games and save files.

WikiHow

Don't accidentally select the pane that contains nothing but a chopped-up image missing the piece you transferred.

WikiHow

Make sure the Command Prompt is pointed to the specific directory that the text files are in or if you execute the command to merge all your text files, you may accidentally select all the text files on your Hard Drive which will most likely cause your PC to crash or become very slow while it's attempting to merge them all together.

WikiHow

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "accidentally selected", ensure the context clearly indicates the lack of intention. This helps avoid ambiguity and ensures your message is accurately understood.

Common error

Avoid using "accidentally selected" when the selection was influenced by negligence but was not entirely unintentional. "Negligently selected" might be more appropriate in such scenarios.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "accidentally selected" functions as an adverbial modifier followed by a transitive verb in the past participle form. It describes the manner in which an action (selection) was performed, specifically emphasizing that the action was unintentional. Ludwig AI confirms its usability in written English.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

30%

Wiki

30%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "accidentally selected" is a grammatically sound construction used to describe an unintentional choice. Ludwig AI validates its correctness and usability across diverse contexts, primarily appearing in news, scientific, and wiki sources. Alternatives include "inadvertently chosen" and "mistakenly selected". When using "accidentally selected", ensure the context clearly indicates the lack of intent to avoid ambiguity. Be mindful not to use it when the selection was influenced by negligence rather than being entirely unintentional.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

inadvertently chosen

Emphasizes a lack of attention or awareness during the selection process.

unintentionally picked

Highlights the absence of intent in the selection.

mistakenly selected

Focuses on the error or mistake made during the selection.

erroneously chosen

Implies that the selection was based on incorrect information or understanding.

unwittingly picked

Suggests that the person was unaware of the implications of their choice.

carelessly selected

Highlights negligence or a lack of diligence in the selection process.

incidentally selected

Implies that the selection was a secondary or coincidental result.

fortuitously selected

Suggests that the selection was a fortunate accident.

randomly selected

Indicates the selection was made without any specific purpose or pattern.

passively selected

Highlights a lack of active choice or engagement in the selection process.

FAQs

How to use "accidentally selected" in a sentence?

Use "accidentally selected" to describe an unintended choice. For instance, "I accidentally selected the wrong file from the dropdown menu".

What can I say instead of "accidentally selected"?

You can use alternatives like "inadvertently chosen", "unintentionally picked", or "mistakenly selected" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "accidentally selected" or "mistakenly selected"?

Both "accidentally selected" and "mistakenly selected" are correct, but they emphasize different aspects. "Accidentally selected" highlights the lack of intention, while "mistakenly selected" emphasizes the error made.

What's the difference between "accidentally selected" and "randomly selected"?

"Accidentally selected" means the choice was unintentional, whereas "randomly selected" means the choice was made without any specific criteria or pattern.