/skɛɹ/
Say it backScare is a verb or noun referring to making someone feel fear or a sudden feeling of fear itself. It typically conveys causing alarm, often briefly, and can also describe a state of being frightened. In everyday use, it appears in phrases like “to scare someone” and “a scare in the night.” It emphasizes an abrupt emotional response rather than sustained fear.
- You may overpronounce the vowel turning it into /eɪ/ or /iː/; keep it as a short, tense front vowel around /ɛ/ with a gentle glide to the second sound. - Ensure the /r/ is not overemphasized in rhotic accents; many non-US speakers insert an unnecessary extra consonant at the end. - Passive tension in the jaw can turn /skɛər/ into a drawn-out diphthong; practice a crisp, quick release. - Avoid merging /sk/ into a single alveolar sound; practice the clean onset with a brief release, keeping the /k/ audible. - In fast speech, avoid adding a vowel after the /r/; end promptly with a soft, almost silent /ər/ or /ə/ depending on accent.
"The loud crash outside the window can scare you awake at night."
"Her sudden scream scared the children in the yard."
"The creepy story scared him enough to keep the lights on."
Pronounce it as /skɛər/ in US and UK dictionaries, with a single, stressed syllable. Start with an initial /s/ air burst, then a /k/ plosive, followed by a mid-front vowel /ɛə/ that lands as /eə/ in many UK transcriptions, ending with an /r/ (more pronounced in rhotic accents). Tip: keep the tongue high-front for the /ɛ/ portion and relax the jaw for the glide into the /ər/ or /ə/ depending on accent. For Australians, it’s commonly /skɛə/ or /skɛəː/, with a rolled or tapped American-style final r depending on speaker. Listen to native examples to cue the final length and r-coloring.
Common mistakes include elongating the vowel into a pure /eɪ/ as in ‘square’ or misplacing the /r/ by pronouncing a hard rhotic ending where non-rhotic variants reduce it. Another frequent error is a too-high or too-tense jaw making the /ɛə/ combo sound like /iːə/ or /eɪə/. To correct: keep the vowel around /ɛə/ with a relaxed jaw and a light, quick release into /ər/ or just a soft /ə/ in non-rhotic speech. Practice with minimal pairs and record yourself to compare to a native model.
In US English, /skɛər/ often features rhoticity with a light /r/ and a short final stretch. In UK English, /skeə/ tends to be non-rhotic, so the ending /r/ is not pronounced, producing a closer /ˈskeə/. Australian speakers often share /skɛə/ with a slightly broader vowel, sometimes lengthening the vowel to /ˈskeːɐ/ depending on region. The main contrast is rhoticity and vowel length; US tends to a compressed /ɛə/ with rhotic finishing, UK leans to a pure vowel /eə/ without a pronounced /r/, AU sits in between with mild lengthening and variable rhoticity.
The challenge lies in achieving the precise mid-front vowel quality / ɛə / and transitioning cleanly into the soft, lightly released final vowel or consonant depending on accent. Many non-native speakers either oversimplify to /skeɚ/ or misjudge the glide into /ər/ or /ə/ in rhotic varieties. The key difficulty is coordinating the tongue position for /ɛ/ while signaling the subtle, almost-diphthong end of /ə/ or /ər/ without adding extra consonants. Practicing with minimal pairs and steady breath support helps stabilize the mouth muscles for this brisk, single-syllable word.
Does 'scare' ever reduce the final vowel in connected speech? Yes. In fast, casual speech, many speakers compress the ending to a near-schwa, especially in non-rhotic accents where the /r/ is not pronounced. You may hear /skeə/ with a very quick, almost inaudible ending on the vowel before the next word. This is called a clipped final vowel and occurs when speaking at speed or in phrases like “scare away” where the second word begins immediately after. Monitor breath and keep the vowel slightly lighter on the release to avoid a heavy ending.
🗣️ Voice search tip: These questions are optimized for voice search. Try asking your voice assistant any of these questions about "scare"!
- US: Rhotic /r/ is pronounced; keep the tongue tip high and retracted for a clearer rhotic end, especially if you’re used to non-rhotic languages. The vowel remains a tight /ɛə/ with less quality shift. - UK: Non-rhotic tendency; final /r/ is silent; emphasize the pure /eə/ diphthong, with a longer start and a clipped end. - AU: Often rhotic but lighter; you’ll hear a blend between US and UK with a more open ending; allow subtle lengthening of the vowel and a soft, almost imperceptible /r/. Reference IPA: /skɛə/ (US), /skeə/ (UK), /skɛə/ (AU). - Across all accents, keep the mouth moderately open for the /ɛ/ portion, with the tongue mid-front and the lips relaxed. - The most salient feature is the swift glide into the final vowel or /r/ depending on accent; avoid a prolonged vowel that dulls the crisp onset.
Scare traces to the Old Norse word skara, meaning to frighten or shun, and is related to the Middle English scorien, which carried similar senses of frightening or driving away. The modern spelling and pronunciation coalesced by the late medieval period, aligning with other Germanic-root verbs that express sudden fear or alarm. The sense evolution moved from a generalized act of frightening to the more specific “to frighten suddenly” (often implying a brief, sharp reaction). The noun sense of a sudden fright developed from the verb, paralleling patterns in English where a verb leads to a noun form describing the occurrence (a scare). First known uses appear in Middle English texts, with related forms appearing in regional dialects across Britain and parts of Northern Europe before standardization in Early Modern English. Over centuries, the word acquired common collocations around fear-inducing stimuli, startling events, and colloquial expressions describing alarm without long-term intimidation.
💡 Etymology tip: Understanding word origins can help you remember pronunciation patterns and recognize related words in the same language family.
Help others use "scare" correctly by contributing grammar tips, common mistakes, and context guidance.
💡 These words have similar meanings to "scare" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "scare" and show contrast in usage.
📚 Vocabulary tip: Learning synonyms and antonyms helps you understand nuanced differences in meaning and improves your word choice in speaking and writing.
Words that rhyme with "scare"
-are sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
🎵 Rhyme tip: Practicing with rhyming words helps you master similar sound patterns and improves your overall pronunciation accuracy.
