Too many people claim something is ironic when it’s not – it’s actually coincidental. For example, it’s not “ironic” that Jose moved from California to D.C., where he ended up meeting and falling in love with a fellow Californian. The fact that he and his boyfriend are both from California is a coincidence. Quite frankly, we’re wondering why they left California for D.C. – certainly not to escape the terrible traffic!

Irony is when the expected results and the actual results are incongruous.

Coincidence is if something appears planned when it’s actually accidental. So, it would be "ironic" if Jose had moved from California to D.C. in order to escape California men, only to meet and fall in love with a fellow Californian. This irony would hold true in our escaping traffic scenario as well. Perhaps they should have moved to Cedar Rapids?