How to spell careless

hear itcare·less/'kɜrlɪs/adjectivePrefixes and work

What it means: Not paying close attention to what one is doing.

In a sentence: The careless cat knocked over the vase.

The part people get wrong

Watch for double s. Often misspelled as carless or careles.

Same family: careful, carefully, carelessness, care, caregiver. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: Careless comes from the Old English word ‘carleas,’ which meant ‘free from care or anxiety.’ Over time, its meaning shifted from ‘not worried’ to ‘not paying attention’ or ‘not taking enough care.

Try spelling it

You will hear the word and a sentence. Type it and press Enter. Then four more words from the same level, so you know where you stand.

Words like this

fearless · painless · helpless

Spelling.School is a spaced-repetition spelling practice: ten minutes a day, every word spoken aloud, every miss explained, and every word coming back just before you would forget it. Try five words without signing up.