Carefree and careless are two English words that often confuse learners and native speakers. They are words for different things.
Let’s see why!
Difference between carefree and careless
Care has two meanings: “concern” and “caution”.
Carefree is like being happy and without worries, like a carefree day at the beach.
Careless, on the other hand, is when you’re not paying enough attention, and that might lead to mistakes.
Think of carefree as “care + free”, like you’re free from all worries. Think of careless as “care + less”, as being less careful.
For example, you can say:
Tom was happy and carefree.
I was careless. I didn’t pay attention.
Carefree and careless sound different too:
Carefree
Careless
Other examples with carefree and careless in English
Elena acted like a carefree teenager.
My parents live a carefree life in the countryside.
Daniel wished he could go back to that carefree time.
He is careless about money.
Don’t be so careless!
Tom is a careless driver.
What now?
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Title: Italian All-in-One For Dummies
Language: English / Italian
Publisher: For Dummies
Pages: 672
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