Words / B2

ins-i-DENT-uh-lee/ˌɪnsɪˈdentəli/

Incidentally adds a side point: incidentally, the source is a blog. By the way is the informal twin. Incident is a noun for an event (already in the dictionary). Use incidentally sparingly in essays — it can sound chatty. Do not use it to hide a key argument.

Meaning

Used to add a less important fact; by the way.

Examples

• “Incidentally, the source is a blog, which weakens the citation.”
• “Incidentally is too chatty for a methods paragraph, which is a register warning.”

Good to know

incidentally, + clause. Informal: by the way. Noun cousin: incident. Side remarks, not the thesis. Essays: use sparingly.

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