Bahati (au sudi) inatafsiriwa kwa namna tofauti na hata kukanushwa kadiri ya utamaduni, falsafa, dini na hisia za watu. Kamusi ya Noah Webster inafafanua ni "nguvu isiyo na lengo, isiyotabirika na isiyotawalika inayosababisha matukio mazuri au mabaya kwa mtu binafsi au kundi la watu". Kumbe Max Gunther inatafsiri hivi: ni "matukio ambayo yanaathiri maisha ya mtu na yanaonekana kuwa nje ya udhibiti wake". Gunther, 1977. View on Google Books. Ibidem, Gunther, 1977. Gunther, Max. "The Lucky Factor" Harriman House Ltd 1977. ISBN 9781906659950 Mlodinow, Leonard. "The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives" Penguin Group, 2008. ISBN 0375424040 Mauboussin, Michael. "The Success Equation: Untangling Skill and Luck in Business, Sports, and Investing." Harvard Business Review Press, 2012 ISBN 9781422184233 Taleb, Nassim N. "Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets" Random House 2001 ISBN 0812975219