Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

carelessness

/ˈkɛɹləsnəs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.83 in modern English

Syllables: care-less-ness
IPA: /ˈkɛɹləsnəs/

14

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Lack of care; the state or quality of being careless.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"This accident was caused by carelessness."
"There were, however, 34 deaths among passengers in movement accidents, due mainly to misadventure and carelessness when entering and leaving trains in motion, falling off platforms and out of carriages, and opening and closing carriage doors."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵeh₂r-der. Proto-Germanic *karō Proto-West Germanic *karu Old English caru Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁- Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der. Proto-Germanic *leusaną Proto-Germanic *lausaz Proto-Germanic *-lausaz Proto-West Germanic *-laus Old English -lēas Old English carlēas Proto-Germanic *-in- Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Old English carlēasnes Middle English *carelesnes English carelessness From Middle English *carelesnes, *carlesnesse, from Old English carlēasnes (“freedom from care, security, carelessness”), equivalent to careless + -ness.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: *carelesnes, carlēasnes
Suffix: careless

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈkɛɹləsnəs/
British English: /ˈkɛələsnəs/

Usage

Inflected Forms

carelessnesses (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

careless

Synonyms

inattention negligence neglect nonperformance sloppiness

Antonyms

carefulness

Questions

How do you pronounce carelessness?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkɛɹləsnəs/.
What does carelessness mean?: Lack of care; the state or quality of being careless.
Where does carelessness come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce carelessness

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “carelessness”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkɛɹləsnəs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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