reckless
reck·less/ˈɹɛkləs/adjective
reckless is spelled R-E-C-K-L-E-S-S: 8 letters and 2 syllables (reck·less). It appears 6.6 times per million words in written English, the 9,313th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “reckless vs wreckless” about 30 times a month (Bing, United States). As an adjective, reckless means “Careless or heedless; headstrong or rash” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in reckless?
| Letters | 8: R-E-C-K-L-E-S-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: reck·less |
| In writing | 6.6 times per million words; the 9,313th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is reckless?
Reckless appears 6.6 times per million words in written English, the 9,313th 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 reckless?
- /ˈɹɛkləs/
- [ˈɹʷɛkləs] ~ [ˈɹʷɛkls̩]
Reckless has 2 syllables, split reck·less in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-reckless.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with reckless
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of reckless
- recklesser comparative
- more reckless comparative
- recklessest superlative
- most reckless superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does reckless mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Careless or heedless; headstrong or rash.
- 2
Indifferent or oblivious to danger or the consequences thereof.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Reckless in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | irresponsable, insouciant , téméraire, branque |
| German | waghalsig, unverantwortlich, unbekümmert, leichtsinnig, leichtfertig , rücksichtslos |
| Portuguese | imprudente , temerário |
| Spanish | imprudente, temerario , desconsiderado |
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 reckless come from?
From Middle English rekles, reckeles, rekkeles, (also recheles), from Old English rēcelēas (“reckless, careless, negligent”), equivalent to reck + -less.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).