careless
/kɛɹ.ləs/adjective
careless is spelled C-A-R-E-L-E-S-S: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 4.0 times per million words in written English, the 12,940th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, careless means “Not concerned or worried (about)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in careless?
| Letters | 8: C-A-R-E-L-E-S-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.0 times per million words; the 12,940th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is careless?
Careless appears 4.0 times per million words in written English, the 12,940th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce careless?
- UK /ˈkɛəlɪs/
- UK /ˈkɛələs/
- US /kɛɹ.ləs/
Careless has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-careless.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of careless
- more careless comparative
- most careless superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does careless mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Not concerned or worried (about).
- 2
Not giving sufficient attention or thought, especially concerning the avoidance of harm or mistakes.
Jessica was so careless that she put her shorts on backwards.
- 3
archaicFree from care; unworried, without anxiety.
Jessica was careless about putting her shorts on properly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Careless in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense not giving sufficient attention or thought:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | négligent, étourdi, distrait |
| German | unvorsichtig, unbedacht, unachtsam, leichtsinnig, fahrlässig, nachlässig |
| Portuguese | descuidado, desatencioso, negligente |
| Spanish | descuidado, irresponsable, negligente, dejado, poco / no cuidadoso, desprolijo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does careless come from?
From Middle English careles, from Old English carlēas (“careless, reckless, void of care, free from care, free”), equivalent to care + -less. Cognate with Icelandic kærulaus (“careless, negligent”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).