Meaning & use
scarey
Last updated
UK/ˈskeəri/
US/ˈskeri/
Meaning
adjectivecomparable
A nonstandard spelling of scary, meaning causing fear or worry.
Grammar: Standard written English uses scary, not scarey.
Patterns
- a scarey story
The child said the dark hallway was scarey.
Some people misspell scary as scarey in text messages.
That movie was scarey, but I could not stop watching.
Common combinations
- scary movie
- They watched a scary movie on Halloween.
- scary story
- He told a scary story around the fire.
- pretty scary
- The ride was pretty scary.
- scary thought
- Driving on ice is a scary thought.
Synonyms and how they differ
- frightening
- Frightening is more formal and neutral, while scarey is just a misspelling of scary.
- alarming
- Alarming suggests a warning of danger, while scary is more everyday and emotional.
- terrifying
- Terrifying is much stronger than scary.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: scarey or scary?
scarey vs scary
Scary is the correct spelling; scarey is a common error because the verb scare ends in -e.
Practice
Which is the correct spelling of the adjective meaning frightening?
Choose one answer.
The standard spelling is scary, with no e before the y. Scarey is the common error.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “scarey”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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