Home › Glossary › Letter H

haply

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

By chance, perhaps, or possibly; also occasionally meaning in a fortunate manner, though context determines whether it suggests randomness or happiness.

Detailed Definition
“Haply” derives from “hap” (luck) and means “perhaps” or “by fortune.” It appears in Elizabethan and metaphysical poetry to introduce uncertainty or serendipity (“Haply I may find her”). Its ambiguity allows poets to blend fate and chance, while its rhythm suits contemplative lines. Though replaced by “perhaps,” “haply” retains a lyrical grace, suggesting openness to destiny or the unexpected in human affairs.
Example
Example in poetry:
Haply we shall meet again someday (perhaps, by chance); Haply the messenger will arrive by noon (possibly, maybe); Haply thou art right in what thou sayest (it may be that, perchance); Haply some good will come of this mischance (with luck, perhaps); Haply she heard not when I called her name (it may be, possibly); Haply the storm will pass before nightfall (perhaps, by good fortune)
Additional Notes
Haply presents interesting ambiguity: primarily it means "by chance" or "perhaps," but it can also mean "happily" depending on context and period. Shakespeare uses haply frequently for "perhaps": "Haply I think on thee" (Sonnet 29). Students must use context to distinguish "by chance" from "happily." The etymology relates to "hap" (chance, fortune), not "happy," though the words share distant roots. In poetry, haply introduces uncertain possibilities or hypothetical scenarios. It's softer than "perhaps," more poetic than "maybe." The semantic overlap between chance and happiness reflects historical views that happiness depends on fortune (hap). Modern readers mainly encounter haply in Renaissance texts. Compare "happily" (modern spelling for "by chance" in some Early Modern texts).
Other Meanings of “haply”
Also Known As
happily perhaps perchance mayhap
Skip to main content