Scaring

How to spell scaring

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce scaring

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does scaring mean?

1. verbPresent participle of scare: causing fear or alarm in a person or animal.

Scaring in a sentence

• The loud fireworks were scaring the neighbour's dog all evening.

• That horror film kept scaring the children long after bedtime.

Where does scaring come from?

Language of origin: Old Norse

This is the present participle of the verb 'scare', which came into English from Old Norse rather than from Latin or French. The Old Norse word was 'skirra', meaning to frighten or to make timid, and it was related to 'skjarr', an adjective meaning shy, timid, or easily startled. Norse settlers brought the word into northern England, where it took hold as the Middle English 'skerren' and eventually 'scaren'. Over time the meaning settled firmly on the idea of striking sudden fear into someone or something. The single 'r' is the key spelling point: because the root vowel sound is long, the consonant stays single, which sharply distinguishes 'scaring' (frightening) from 'scarring' (forming a scar), where the doubled 'r' keeps the vowel short.

How the word is built

• scare (verb, to frighten)
• -ing (present participle suffix)