What is the Latin word for perhaps?

The usual Latin words for “perhaps” are fortāsse, forsitan, fortis; also nisī̆, nī, ecquis. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“perhaps” in Latin

fortāsseperhaps, possibly, maybe; approximately forsitanperhaps, perchance, maybe fortisstrong, powerful; firm, resolute, steadfast, stout; courageous, brave nisī̆if not, unless, except nīnot, if...not, unless- an absolutely negative particle like ne so only in combinations ecquisIs there anyone who...?, Is there anybody who...?; whether anyone/anybody

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

perhaps

fortasse: forsitan (the latter with the subjunctive, except when it is inserted, as it were, parenthetically in the sentence, the verb not being dependent on it; e.g., longiorem orationem causa forsitan postulat, Cic., p. Lig., 12, 38; Vid: Handrianus, Turs., ii., p. 715. ☞ Forsitan stands only in principal, not in dependent sentences; hence it would be wrong to say cum forsitan haec tibi nota sint, for fortasse. Neither of these two must be used in questions, or after si, nisi, ne): forte (only after si, sin, nisi, ni, ne. Krüger adds to these num: Görenz num and ecquid: Krebs, in his second edition, rejects both of these, and says that in questions “perhaps,” “perchance” should be left untranslated): ☞ fors, fors sit, forsit are all poetical: fortasse an (Varr., and Gell.: forsan is poetical; fortassis once stood in several places in Cic. where fortasse is now read, Krebs): haud scio an, nescio an (after which nullus, nemo, numquam are to be used for “any,” “any body,” “ever;” e.g., huic uni contigit, quod nescio an ulli, which perhaps never occurred to anyone else, Nep.). In questions: “whether perhaps any,” (after quaerere, percunctari, etc.) is to be translated by ecquis (or ecqui), ecquae (or ecqua), ecquid (not by si quis). Thus quaeris ecqua spes sit! fac sciam, ecquid venturi sitis. Perhaps somebody, forsitan quispiam; aliquis forte. Unless perhaps, nisi forte: if perhaps, si forte: lest perhaps, ne forte.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for perhaps?: The usual Latin words for “perhaps” are fortāsse, forsitan, fortis; also nisī̆, nī, ecquis. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.