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Differentiating the usage of Scared, Scary and Scaring in English

Scared, Scary, and Scaring all convey the meaning of fear or being frightened, but these three words have distinct usages. In this article, PREP helps you understand the definitions, usages, accompanying words/phrases, and the differences between Scared, Scary, and Scaring. Read now!

I. What is Scared?
II. What is Scary?
III. What is Scaring?
IV. Differences between Scared, Scary and Scaring
V. Exercises to differentiate Scared, Scary, and Scaring
VI. Learn the Secrets of IELTS Success

I. What is Scared?

Let's delve into the definition, usage, synonyms, and idioms associated with Scared with PREP!

1. What is Scared?

According to the Cambridge and Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, Scared is pronounced as /skerd/. Scared functions as an adjective, meaning: frightened of something or afraid that something bad might happen. For example:

I'm scared of telling Anna what really happened.
Jack was scared to tell Lisa that she failed the exam.

2. The structure with Scared

Let's explore the structures with Scared right below with PREP!

Structure	Example
Be scared of doing something	Lisa is scared of speaking in public, so she avoids giving presentations.
Be scared to do something	Alex was scared to ask his boss for a day off, fearing rejection.
Be scared at (doing) something	I'm always scared at facing interviews.
Be scared of somebody/ something	The child is scared of the dark and always sleeps with a nightlight.
Be scared (that)…	Jenny is scared that she won't meet the deadline for the project.
Be scared for something	Merry is scared for her brother's safety as he travels through the stormy weather.

3. Idiom associated with Scared

Idiom associated with Scared	Meaning	Example
Be frightened/ nervous/ scared of your own shadow.	to be very easily frightened; to be very nervous	After watching a horror movie alone at night, she became frightened of her own shadow.
Be frightened/ scared/ terrified out of your wits.	to be very frightened; to frighten somebody very much	When the lightning struck very close, the loud thunder scared her out of her wits.
Be scared/ bored witless.	to frighten someone very much	Alex was extremely scared witless when he saw a ghost last night.

4. Synonym of Scared

Synonym of Scared	Pronunciation	Example
Afraid	/əˈfreɪd/	Robert was afraid to confront his fears and speak in public.
Frightened	/ˈfraɪ.tənd/	The sudden thunderstorm frightened the children, and they huddled together for comfort.
Petrified	/ˈpet.rə.faɪd/	As the horror movie reached its climax, Anna became petrified and couldn't move.
Terrified	/ˈter.ə.faɪd/	The news of the approaching hurricane left the residents terrified as they prepared for evacuation.
Panic-stricken	/ˈpæn.ɪkˌstrɪk.ən/	When the fire alarm went off, the office became panic-stricken as employees rushed towards the exits.
Worried	/ˈwɝː.id/	Xavia was worried about the upcoming exam and spent hours studying to alleviate her concerns.
Nervous	/ˈnɝː.vəs/	The job interview made Peter nervous, but he took deep breaths to calm his nerves.

II. What is Scary?

According to the Cambridge and Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, Scary is pronounced as /ˈsker.i/. Scary acts as an adjective, meaning: making you feel frightened. For example:

Mr. Jonathan is a scary man.
The idea of surgery was very scary to me.

III. What is Scaring?

In English, Scaring is the present continuous tense (present participle) form of the main verb "Scare", meaning: to (make a person or animal) feel frightened. For example:

They are scaring organizations away from employing women.
The alarm is always scaring me every morning.

IV. Differences between Scared, Scary and Scaring

Let's discover the differences between Scared, Scary and Scaring right below with PREP!

	Scared	Scary	Scaring
Part of speech	Adjective	Adjective	Present participle
Usage	Being scared/frightened, fearing that something bad will happen. Having a passive meaning, expressing the state of being scared of a person/thing (due to external influences).	(Intimidating/ terrifying) making someone feel scared. Having an active meaning, the inherent ability to cause fear.	Making someone feel horrified/terrified.
Example	I am scared of snakes.	Big snakes are too scary to me.	Failing the final exam is scaring me.

V. Exercises to differentiate Scared, Scary, and Scaring

To differentiate between Scared, Scary, and Scaring, let's do the exercises below!

Exercise: Conjugate the correct form of the verb “Scare”

Lisa was (scare) _______ to watch horror movies alone at night.
The haunted house had a (scare) _______ atmosphere with dim lights and eerie sounds.
The sudden loud noise in the dark alley was (scare) _______ the children.
Andrea was (scare) _______ of heights, so climbing the tall tower was a challenge for him.
The horror movie was so (scare) _______.
The unexpected appearance of the ghost in the movie was (scare) _______ everyone.
The loud thunder made the dog (scare) _______.
Walking through the dark forest at night could be a (scare) _______ experience.
The sudden burst of fireworks was (scare) _______ the birds.
Being alone in the old, creaky house at night always made her feel (scare) _______.

Answer:

scared
scary
scaring
scared
scary
scaring
scared
scary
scaring
scared

VI. Learn the Secrets of IELTS Success

PREP hopes that through this article, you have gained a clear understanding of the concepts, usage, and distinctions between Scared, Scary, and Scaring.

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Master Tu Pham

Founder/CEO at Prep

Founder of Prep Smart Test Preparation Platform. With over 10 years of experience in teaching and test preparation, Mr. Tú has helped thousands of students achieve high scores in the IELTS exam. In addition, Mr. Tú Phạm is also a consulting expert in British Council programs and a speaker at many leading educational events, programs, and conferences.