at chance

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "at chance" is not correct or usable in written English.
Instead, the phrase "by chance" should be used in written English. For example, "I ran into my old friend by chance at the park yesterday."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

58 human-written examples

The dog lunged at Chance, sinking his teeth into the soft flesh of his throat.

The New York Times

On Sunday, Jenkins will finally have at chance to play the 49ers, who lead the N.F.C. West.

The New York Times - Sports

Some acquaintances — the Crows — sustain their premature gloom and predatory pre-grieving at chance encounters in the bank or farmers' market.

The New York Times

Zeelenberg, Plomp, and Raaijmakers (2003) failed to observe this false recognition effect when list word recognition was at chance.

Consciousness and Cognition

Although abnormalities could be detected by radiologists above chance at 500 ms, localisation performance was at chance.

Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications

As a baseline, we defined a merit function that we thought would cause people to respond at chance.

Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications

If you want at chance at winning these tickets, just follow the steps below.

TechCrunch

A d′ of zero indicates there is no sensitivity and the participant is performing at chance (i.e. no better than guessing).

Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications

The state highway's western terminus remained at Chance until 1940.

Wikipedia

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

2 human-written examples

All negative values of κ are mapped to K = 0, making this a type of mass-at-chance (MAC) transformation (Morey, Rouder, & Speckman, 2009; Rouder et al. 2007).

Behavior Research Methods

Data from 2 participants were excluded from all analyses involving the RAPM due to at-chance levels of performance on this task.

Behavior Research Methods

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Consider using synonyms like "randomly" or "accidentally" if you want a more concise expression of the same concept, especially in less formal writing.

Common error

Avoid using "at" when you mean "by" to indicate something occurring randomly or unexpectedly. "By chance" is the correct idiom, as in "I met her "by chance" at the conference".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "at chance" is generally intended to function as an adverbial modifier, describing a situation where an event or outcome occurs randomly or without any discernible pattern. However, Ludwig AI highlights that the correct phrase is "by chance".

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

68%

News & Media

23%

Wiki

9%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "at chance" is frequently used, especially in scientific and news media contexts, Ludwig AI identifies it as grammatically incorrect. The correct alternative is "by chance", which conveys the meaning of randomness or accidental occurrence. Given its incorrectness, it's advisable to opt for grammatically sound alternatives like ""by chance"", "randomly", or other contextually appropriate synonyms to ensure clarity and precision in writing. Despite its common usage, maintaining grammatical accuracy enhances credibility, especially in formal or academic settings.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

by chance

This is the grammatically correct and most direct replacement for the original phrase, indicating something happening randomly.

at random

Highlights an action occurring purely based on chance, excluding any pattern or decision-making process.

randomly

This single word adverb captures the essence of something occurring without a predictable pattern.

accidentally

Focuses on the unintentional nature of an event, similar to a chance occurrence.

by accident

Indicates that an event happened unexpectedly or unintentionally.

haphazardly

Emphasizes a lack of planning or organization, leading to a chance result.

fortuitously

Highlights the lucky or fortunate aspect of a chance event.

unintentionally

Similar to accidentally, stressing the lack of intent behind an action or outcome.

without skill

Describes performance that is not proficient, leading to outcomes that seem random or unpredictable.

without design

Implies the absence of a deliberate plan, making the outcome a product of chance.

FAQs

Is it grammatically correct to say "at chance"?

No, the grammatically correct way to express that something happens randomly or unexpectedly is to say ""by chance"".

What does it mean when performance is "at chance level"?

When performance is described as "at chance level", it means that the person or system is performing no better than if they were guessing randomly. Their success rate is what you'd expect if the outcomes were purely a matter of "random chance".

How can I rephrase "at chance" in academic writing?

In academic writing, instead of "at chance", use ""by chance"", "randomly", or "no better than chance" to maintain precision and grammatical correctness.

What's the difference between "at chance" and "<a href="/s/by+chance" target="_blank" rel="nofollow""by chance""?

"At chance" is not grammatically correct. The correct phrase is ""by chance"", which means something happens randomly or unexpectedly.