Which to use
“scared” and “seared” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,500
- “scared” frequency rank
- #33,840
- “seared” frequency rank
- 36340
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scared | seared |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Feeling fear; afraid, frightened. | blackened by heat; scorched; burned |
Letter map: scared vs seared
Shared letters muted; letters that set scared and seared apart highlighted. Shared run: 5. scared (CCVCVC) and seared (CVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Spelling & dictionary notes on scared vs seared
scared and seared are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by a single letter - c in “scared” becomes e in “seared”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36340, 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/. seared is at rank #33,840, tagged as anadj.
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 36340, this pair ranks #303,994 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of scared vs seared
Shared letters: aders. Private to "scared": c. Private to "seared": -.
"scared" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "seared" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "scared" for "seared" ever safe?
Which is more common, "scared" or "seared"?
What to do next
Pair "scared" vs "seared" 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 "seared" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #303,994 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scared" and "seared" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Seager vs seared". 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 #303,994 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.