Which to use
“scared” is an adjective and “scoured” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,500
- “scared” frequency rank
- #35,066
- “scoured” frequency rank
- 37566
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scared | scoured |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Feeling fear; afraid, frightened. | Wool that has undergone scouring to remove grease. |
Letter map: scared vs scoured
Shared letters muted; letters that set scared and scoured apart highlighted. Shared run: 5.
Grammar separator: scared vs scoured
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: scared is anadjective and scouredanoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37566, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
scared is recorded at frequency rank #2,500, classified as anadj, pronounced /skɛəd/. scoured is at rank #35,066, tagged as anoun.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 37566, this pair ranks #293,467 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of scared vs scoured
Shared letters: cders. Private to "scared": a. Private to "scoured": ou.
"scared" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "scoured" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "scared" and "scoured" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "scared" or "scoured"?
What to do next
Pair "scared" vs "scoured" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.
- Full dictionary entry for "scared" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "scoured" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #293,467 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scared" and "scoured" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "scorned vs scoured". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #293,467 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.