Difference between AFRAID, SCARED, and FRIGHTENED

Difference between AFRAID, SCARED, and FRIGHTENED Espresso EnglishThis is a free sample from the e-book  600+ Confusing English Words Explained. It will help clear up your doubts about how to use English words correctly, so that you can speak and write more confidently. Click here for more information!

When using these words to describe someone’s emotional state – after the verb “to be” and before “of” – you can use afraid or scared with no change in meaning.

  • She’s afraid of spiders.
  • She’s scared of spiders.

“Frightened of” can also be used, but it’s not as common.

However, when used in the active voice, and the SUBJECT of the sentence is the scary thing, you can use only scared or frightened:

  • The loud noise scared me.
  • The loud noise frightened me.

You can also use scary or frightening to describe something that causes fear:

  • It was a scary experience.
  • It was a frightening experience.

Clear up your doubts about confusing words… and use English more confidently!

Difference between AFRAID, SCARED, and FRIGHTENED Espresso English

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