TextRanch

The best way to perfect your writing.

Discover why 1,062,726 users count on TextRanch to get their English corrected!

1. Input your text below.
2. Get it corrected in a few minutes by our editors.
3. Improve your English!

One of our experts will correct your English.

I happened to meet him vs I met him by chance

Both phrases are correct and convey a similar meaning. 'I happened to meet him' implies that the meeting occurred unexpectedly or by chance. 'I met him by chance' directly states that the meeting was unplanned. The choice between the two depends on your personal preference or the desired tone of the sentence.

Explained by Jennifer
Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: September 16, 2024

I happened to meet him

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to express an unexpected or chance meeting.

This phrase is used to describe a meeting that occurred unexpectedly or by chance, without prior planning.

Examples:

I happened to meet him at the grocery store yesterday.
She happened to meet her old friend while walking in the park.
He happened to meet his favorite actor at the airport.
They happened to meet at a conference last year.
We happened to meet each other at the party.

Show examples from the web [+]

Mar 20, 2015 ... Just yesterday, I happened to meet him. *Just yesterday, I happen to have met him. (WRONG because "happen" is semantically incompatible ...
English-German translation for: I happened to meet him. ä ö ü ß. DE <> EN, DE – > EN, EN –> DE, ---- ... I happened to meet him. Ich traf ihn zufällig. Ich habe ihn ...
Deutsch-Englisch-Wörterbuch. Deutsch-Englisch-Übersetzung für: I happened to meet him. ä ö ü ß. DE <> EN, DE –> EN, EN –> DE, -----, DE <> EN, -----, DE <> ...
Results for: I happened to meet him.Translations: 1 – 30 / 45. English, German. I happened to meet him. Ich traf ihn zufällig. assistance to meet the cost of living?

Alternatives:

I coincidentally met him.
I chanced upon him.
I unexpectedly met him.
I randomly met him.
I fortuitously met him.

I met him by chance

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to express an unplanned meeting.

This phrase directly states that a meeting was unplanned or occurred by coincidence.

Examples:

I met him by chance at the library.
She met her future business partner by chance at a networking event.
He met his long-lost friend by chance on the street.
They met by chance at a mutual friend's party.
We met by chance while waiting for the bus.

Show examples from the web [+]

Feb 18, 2007 ... Hi, pls is it possible to interchange these two sentences withoung a change of meaning? I met him by accident. I met him by chance. Thank you.
I met him by chance. You cannot translate sentences because you did not add any language in your profile. Add a language. deu. Ich traf ihn zufällig. deu.
%by chance%, I met him by chance in the train this morning. %by chance%, I met him by chance in the train this morning. %by chance%, I met her by chance at ...
... on the train the day before yesterday. by chance, I met her by chance. by chance, I met her by chance. by chance, I met him by chance in the train this morning.

Alternatives:

I unexpectedly encountered him.
I accidentally ran into him.
I coincidentally bumped into him.
I randomly crossed paths with him.
I fortuitously encountered him.

Related Comparisons

What Our Customers Are Saying

Our customers love us! We have an average rating of 4.79 stars based on 283,125 votes.
Also check out our 2,100+ reviews on TrustPilot (4.9).

"Thank you!"
Sachi Nakama July 2024
"I have literally been through chat, PI, claude, bard and bing and I got conflicting answers! Thank you! Human intelligence reigns!"
Retha July 2024
"Faster than AI"
CYNTHIA December 2023
"This was very helpful and I personally think this site is the best."
Kaden October 2023
"It was extremely thorough and very helpful!"
imperialelisa October 2023
"7 years without any disappointment. Always 100% satisfied. You guys are the best in the world at what you do. Thank you so much :)"
Zubair Alam October 2023
"In a world of text messages and online communication, this is great to have as a live tool. Thank you."
Selena October 2023
"Without textranch I would be stuck!"
宏祐 October 2023
"Accuracy and fast response. Personal comments from editor. Thank you."
Clh September 2023
"I wasn't aware of this service, it's fascinating and more reliable than standard IA tools available on the internet"
Arturo September 2023
"The fact that you can get reliable fast feedback on your texts."
Vinicius Antonio August 2023
"you guys are better than grammarly i'm being honest here"
ordinary July 2023
"OMG! This is really good than any other text correction tools I've used so far. Highly recommend this."
Vehan July 2023
"Very fast and accurate. thank you."
mojtaba July 2023
"I love this app because it's help to writing skills all of students ♥️"
Tarisini July 2023
"This was exactly the mistake I was looking for, the wording dind´t sound right at first. Better than grammarly!"
Ente July 2023
"The immediate help that I received was reassuring and very satisfactory. Thanks."
priiiyanshuu July 2023
"this helps A LOT for my studies."
kathnunez02 June 2023
"Woow!! I would never have expected such precision! Thank you soooo much!!"
Berta June 2023
"Real Time Editor and not AI. Many Thanks."
Priya June 2023
"The very first thing excites me about Textranch is how much your editors care."
sepideh June 2023
"The fact that texts are checked by human editors rather than by AI, etc. I appreciate this!"
Анна June 2023
"Feel welcome, immediate response, high quality feedback"
martin.roy June 2023
"This is the best app that I have ever seen"
Burulai May 2023

Why choose TextRanch?

Lowest prices
Up to 50% lower than other online editing sites.

Fastest Times
Our team of editors is working for you 24/7.

Qualified Editors
Native English experts for UK or US English.

Top Customer Service
We are here to help. Satisfaction guaranteed!