Reckon means: To think; suppose; believe. "I reckon" = "I think." Particularly Southern but also broadly British.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
reckon
To think; suppose; believe.
Definitions
#1·Apr 26, 2026
To think; suppose; believe. "I reckon" = "I think." Particularly Southern but also broadly British.
"I reckon we'll be there by noon."
Origin: Standard English from the 13th century; survives strongly in Southern American and rural British English.
For parents
Reckon means: To think; suppose; believe. "I reckon" = "I think." Particularly Southern but also broadly British.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
reckon means: To think; suppose; believe. "I reckon" = "I think." Particularly Southern but also broadly British.. Register: neutral, standard English. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
Cluster: general
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#3·May 2, 2026
To come to an accounting; to draw up or settle accounts; to examine and strike the balance of debt and credit; to adjust relations of desert or penalty.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#9·May 2, 2026
To reckon with something or somebody or not, i.e. to reckon without something or somebody: to take into account, deal with, consider or not, i.e. to misjudge, ignore, not take into account, not deal with, not consider or fail to consider; e.g. reckon without one's host
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Show 6 more dictionary-style senses (imported)
#4·May 2, 2026
To count as in a number, rank, or series; to estimate by rank or quality; to place by estimation; to account; to esteem; to repute.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#5·May 2, 2026
To count; to enumerate; to number; also, to compute; to calculate.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#6·May 2, 2026
To conclude, as by an enumeration and balancing of chances; hence, to think; to suppose; -- followed by an objective clause
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#7·May 2, 2026
To charge, attribute, or adjudge to one, as having a certain quality or value.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#8·May 2, 2026
To make an enumeration or computation; to engage in numbering or computing.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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Tags
Other words near "reckon" (R)
receptionrecessrecess appointmentrecession-corerec.gamerreckanreckonerreclaimreclaim one's timereclamarecluserecognized component
Browse all slang words starting with R.