English has so many words for emotions. When I talk to non-native speakers, they tell me how overwhelming it is that English has so many words that are similar to happy, sad, angry, etc. On the topic of fear, I want to clarify a few words that can help you use them correctly. Like most things I discuss on my blog, when there is another word for a similar concept, the chances are that there is a noticeable difference in nuance. I want to explain that for fear words today: fear, afraid, scared, scare, frighten, and startle. How do you know which word to use about fear in English?
fear is a noun about the uncomfortable feeling of expecting danger
Fear has a powerful effect of making us avoid things that could be helpful for us.
= Fear is so strong that we don’t do things that are good for us.
Fears of your partner leaving you are very common in some relationships.
= Some people feel uncomfortable that their boyfriends or girlfriends could leave them.
“afraid of” is an adjective about having general fear
When I was younger, I was really afraid of dogs.
= I always felt that I was in danger near dogs when I was a kid.
What are you most afraid of?
= What always makes you feel you are in danger?
fear is also a verb mean to cause a general fear
In other words, it is the verb form of “afraid of.” The same relationship that exists with “afraid of” exists with “fear,” with the words rearranged. The meaning is the same, but it can seem more poetic if you choose this instead of “fear” because you are avoiding meaningless words like “be” and “of,” which are necessary when using “afraid of.”
There is nothing to fear but fear itself.
= The only thing we should be afraid of is the emotion of fear. = Our only limit should be our fear
(The first fear is a verb, and the second one is a noun)
What do you fear the most?
= What are you most afraid of?
“scared of” is an adjective about having a specific moment of fear
The line between afraid and scared is very thin, but usually afraid will be said in situations where you are speaking generally, and the scary thing is not in front of you. Scared will be said in situations where you are shown the scary thing, or there is a specific scary thing you are discussing like THAT spider or THIS person. For some speakers, there is no difference, and they use the words interchangeably.
My dog is very scared of the sound of thunder.
= My dog does not like the sound of thunderstorms and hides when he hears them.
I am scared of calling the doctor’s office, so can you do it for me and say you’re me?
= The idea of talking to the doctor scares me, so I want you to call instead. (This would be said in a situation where someone fears a bad test result)
scare is a verb meaning to cause a sudden surprise from fear
Sometimes, this is another way of saying scared of. If you are scared of spiders, spiders scare you. Usually, it is about a specific moment of scared surprise.
My cat broke a glass in the other room, and the sound scared me so much that I was going to call the police.
= The sound of breaking glass made me fear for my specific safety.
I watched the whole horror movie, and it didn’t scare me one time.
= I did not feel get surprised or scream with fear once during the movie.
frighten is a verb used more in writing that means to cause a sudden surprise from fear
There is no real difference in meaning between scare and frighten, but frighten is just more common in the context of poetry or written English. Scare sounds like daily vocabulary.
I was frightened when I heard yelling outside.
= The people yelling made me feel like I was in danger.
The loud sound of the pipes frightened me when I was walking into the house.
= The pipes made a strange noise, and I was afraid that there was some danger.
startle is a verb about causing a short moment of surprise that is less focused on fear
This word is not focused on the fear of danger. This is more about the quick moment where you hear a loud noise, or you see a person where you did not expect a person. You can replace this word with scare, but scare has so many other meanings, so startle is clearer when you mean the quick moment of a higher heart rate.
I was falling asleep, but the sound of my phone ringing startled me.
= I was starting to relax, but the loud noise made me feel alert.
My friend was at the door sending me a text, so when I opened the door and saw a person, I was startled.
= I did not expect to see someone standing in front of me when I opened the door, so I was surprised and gasped.
In summary:
- fear (n) the uncomfortable feeling when you expect something dangerous
- fear (v) to cause a general fear of something; to be afraid of something
- scare (v) to cause a sudden surprise
- frighten (v) to cause a sudden surprise (more used in writing)
- startle (v) to cause a short moment of surprise
- afraid of (adj) having a general fear of something
- scared of (adj) having a specific fear of something
We have so many words for specific emotions, particularly fear in English. The English language is very expressive when it comes to emotions. Hopefully, you can use these words more freely now that you know their differences. Do not fear fear in English!
You can find more English explanations on my blog.
You can also find videos about language learning on my YouTube channel.
Don’t fear English, and keep on learning!
