ことによると

ことによると introduces a possibility that depends on how circumstances unfold. It literally means "depending on things" and suggests the speaker is uncertain but considers the outcome plausible.

Common patterns

• Typically placed at the beginning of a sentence
• Almost always followed by かもしれない or かもしれません
• The combination ことによると…かもしれない is a set pattern

Register

Slightly formal. More common in written Japanese or careful speech. In casual conversation, もしかしたら or もしかすると is more natural.

Similar words

• もしかしたら/もしかすると: maybe, perhaps (most common in daily speech)
• ひょっとしたら/ひょっとすると: by any chance (slightly colloquial)
• ことによると: possibly (somewhat formal, implies dependence on circumstances)
• あるいは: or, possibly (formal, often written)

Variant

ことによったら is a slightly more casual variant with the same meaning.