One syllable: Scared.
skerd
/skɛɹd/
Scared is pronounced skerd (/skɛɹd/). It has one syllable (Scared), with the stress on "Scared". Scared is an adjective describing a strong emotional response of fear or fright, typically triggered by a perceived threat. It conveys immediate, visceral emotion and can modify nouns (a scared child) or appear in predicative form (They looked scared). The term emphasizes the intensity or immediacy of fear rather than a long-term condition.
adjectiveScared is an adjective describing a strong emotional response of fear or fright, typically triggered by a perceived threat. It conveys immediate, visceral emotion and can modify nouns (a scared child) or appear in predicative form (They looked scared). The term emphasizes the intensity or immediacy of fear rather than a long-term condition.
"The loud thunder made the dog scared and hid under the bed."
"She felt scared walking home alone at night."
"The haunted house tour left him looking scared but curious."
Pronounce as /skerd/ in US and UK; the initial cluster is sk + er(d). Start with /s/ then /k/ with a quick lift of the tongue into /sk/; then the mid-central vowel /ɜː/ in some accents or /eər/ in others, followed by a clear /d/. In connected speech, the /r/ can be less prominent in non-rhotic varieties. Mouth positions: lips neutral, tongue high-mid for /ɜː/ or /eə/ depending on accent. You’ll hear a crisp final /d/ release in careful speech.
Common errors include saying /skærd/ with an American short /æ/ instead of the closer /ɜː/ or /eə/, and over-voicing the final /d/. Some speakers also glide to /eə/ or insert an extra vowel before /d/ (sker-d). To correct: use a clipped /ɜː/ or /eə/ depending on region, keep the vowel as a single steady nucleus, and ensure a clean /d/ release without an extra vowel. Practicing minimal pairs helps solidify the target vowel.
US: /skɛrd/ or /skɛərd/ with rhotacized r and a clear /ɹ/ before the final /d/. UK: often /skɛːd/ with a longer vowel and non-rhotic r, so the /r/ is not pronounced unless linked to a following vowel. AU: closer to /skɛəd/ or /skæɹd/ depending on speaker, with a broader /eə/ or /ɛəd/ realization and often a more pronounced /ɹ/ depending on speaker. The main differences are vowel quality and rhoticity; the final /d/ remains tense in all. IPA references align to local vowel inventories.
Two main challenges: the vowel is not fully open like /æ/ but often a mid-central or fronted /eɚ/ in many accents, making it easy to mispronounce as a flat /æ/ or /e/; and the final /d/ can devoice or blend in casual speech, causing listeners to miss the boundary. Also, rapid speech can reduce the vowel and color the /ɹ/ or /ɜː/ into a schwa-like sound. Focus on sustaining a tight nucleus for the vowel and a clean, released /d/ to maintain intelligibility.
In your own speech, aim for a compact, tense vowel nucleus followed by a precise /d/ release. For many speakers, the key is not the consonant alone but the vowel before it. Practice with the phrase 'feared or scared' to hear the contrast in vowel length and lip tension. Keep the tongue relaxed after the /sk/ cluster, then drop into a steady /ɜː/ or /eə/ depending on your target accent, and finalize with a brief /d/.
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Scared derives from Middle English sceren, a past participle form related to the Old Norse skera meaning to cut or wound, but in this context it is linked to the sense of fear or agitation. The word evolved through the sense of being cut off or frightened, with fear-related expressions appearing in Early Modern English. The modern form appears in the 16th–17th centuries, aligning with the broader expansion of emotional descriptors in English as societies urbanized and narratives emphasized individual responses to danger. Over time, scared narrowed to describe an emotional state of fear rather than physical injury, and is commonly used as an everyday adjective in both informal and formal registers. First known uses are attested in literary texts from the 1500s onward, with widespread colloquial adoption by the 1800s as a general descriptor for fear-based reactions.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Scared" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Scared"
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