Individuals sometimes get confused between the terms scared and afraid, which both indicate a similar level of terror.
The main distinction is that scared can be used both before the first noun and as a predicative after a verb, whereas afraid is used after one verb and not before a word.
This article features the distinct features of the two terms, their usual usage, and their differences that make them commonly used yet colloquially distinct.
Many people are perplexed by these terms. In terms of semantics, they appear to be similar, yet they are not; however, both show the same level of apprehension.
Key Takeaways
- โScaredโ describes a sudden, intense fear, while โafraidโ indicates a more general sense of fear or apprehension.
- โScaredโ results from an immediate threat, whereas โafraidโ may be linked to worry about future events.
- People use โscaredโ for short-term situations, while โafraidโ is more common for long-lasting or recurring fears.
Scared vs Afraid
In English, scared is an adjective used to indicate a fear of something or panic. It is used in informal sentences to depict a lower state of fright. Afraid is a term that depicts prolonged fear or terror. It is used in informal sentences. It also communicates bad news in a polite manner.

The term scared is used for the depiction of fear. It is an adjective for the depiction of human emotion like fright or panic and is very commonly used colloquially. A terrified individual is worried or โscaredโ of something.
For instance, he is scared to get into the ocean.
Other grammatical forms of โscaredโ include the adjective โscary,โ which refers to something that produces dread; the verb โscare,โ which means to make someone fearful; and the noun version of โscare,โ which refers to a fearful emotion or circumstance.
โAfraidโ is another synonymous term that also depicts fear and terror, however, the timeliness and longevity of this term are longer than that of the term โscaredโ.
It is a more professional and formal term and is derived from the obsolete Old English verb โaffrayโ. The terms โ traumatizedโ or โfearfulโ might be used to express a heightened level of dread.
While these words are alternatives for โafraidโ and โwary,โ they may also be used to describe a more immediate or reactive dread. This might be the type of fear that makes humans panic.
For instance, when you jumped out of the closet, she was terrified. She is afraid of heights and refuses to enter the structure.
Comparison Tableย
Parameters of Comparison | Scared | Afraid |
---|---|---|
Etymology | Middle English: from Old Norse skirra โfrightenโ, from skjarr โtimidโ. | Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French afrayer, past participle of the extinct verb affray (affray). |
Meaning | 1. Meaning; put into or being in a condition of dread, anxiety, or panic terrified. 2. Application: Used informally for lesser magnitude of fright. | 1. filled with fear or apprehension, afraid of machines, afraid for his job.ย 2. filled with concern or regret over an unwanted situation. |
Positioning | It can be used both before and after a noun or a verb. | Instead of being used before a noun, it is followed by a verb. |
Pronunciation | Scared is pronounced as โskeuhdโ | Afraid is pronounced as โuhยทfraydโ |
Examples | I am scared of the skeletons.That guy in red is scared of honey bees. | She is afraid of the dark.Usually people are afraid of the deep seas. |
What is Scared?
Scared is a past tense English word that depicts the human emotion of terror or worry. The meaning, according to Oxford states; put into or being in a condition of dread, anxiety, or panic.
It is used informally for a lesser magnitude of fright. The etymology of this term is Middle English: from Old Norse skirrs โfrightenโ, from skjarr โtimidโ.
The adjective scaredโ is used to describe dread or worry. A terrified person is worried or afraid of doing something. For instance, he is afraid to get inside the ocean.
Other syntactic forms of โscaredโ include the adverb โscary,โ which refers to something that produces dread; the verb โscare,โ which aims at making someone fearful; and the noun form of โscare,โ which refers to a fearful emotion or circumstance.
For instance, the movie was really frightening. When I came home, the door abruptly swung open, giving me a shock. Please donโt terrify me any longer with a movie like that.
Scared is definite with a clear cause to be frightened of, such as โI got scared of the tarantula,โ whereas โI am fearful of entering into this companyโ contains an emotional component.
When describing someoneโs emotional reaction, both terms can be used after the verb โto beโ and before โof,โ but when the subject of the article is still something terrible, only terrified or its counterpart frightened should be used, as in, This was the most terrifying event of my entire life.

What is Afraid?
The word โafraidโ has a distinct connotation than the word โscared. This misunderstanding arises from the fact that both afraid and terrified are terms that refer to fear.
Thus, afraid here refers to a sensation of fear or anxiety, whereas scared refers to being startled, alarmed, or panicked.
According to Oxford English, afraid means Frightened, feeling fearful or anxious. โIโm frightened of dogs,โ she said, attempting to think of the future without fear.
Fearful is occasionally used as a replacement for Scared, and conversely, however, it is wrong to use scared rather than just afraid all of the time.
Iโm afraid I wonโt be able to attend the party this Sunday. Afraid is also used politely to communicate some terrible news, sorrow, or regret, and itโs used to formally refuse something more like, Iโm afraid I wonโt be able to attend the party this weekend.
The syntax for terrified and afraid varies as well, with the usage of โbyโ as a preposition that frequently precedes scared, but using afraid in the same meaning makes no sense, as in The tiny boy was terrified by the insect, but you cannot be afraid of anything or things.
The words afraid and scared are, however, the same when referred to colloquially, however, grammatically, it isnโt right to use them interchangeably.

Main Differences Between Scared and Afraid
- Grammatically, one can be scared โbyโ something, but one cannot be afraid โbyโ something.
- Scared is an instinctively past tense form of the scare, but afraid is an adjective with neutral tense.
- Scared is pronounced as โskeuhdโ whereas afraid is pronounced as โuhยทfraydโ.
- Synonyms of scared include frightened, nervous, panicky, and intimidated, whereas synonyms of afraid include horror-stricken, terrified, petrified, and frantic.
- The origin of the term โscaredโ is from Old Norse skirra โfrightenโ, from skjarr โtimidโ, whereas โafraidโ is derived from the Anglo-Norman French term โafrayerโ.

- https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/afraid
- https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/scared

Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.