What does scary mean?
Word: Scary
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Scary means giving you a feeling of fear or worry.
Synonyms: spooky, creepy
Antonyms: comforting
How do you spell scary?
Syllables: scar - y
Tricky part: The word is built on a verb that ends in e, and that e drops when y is added, so there is no e between the r and the y.
Watch out for: scaery, skairy, scery
Memory tip: Shine becomes shiny and its e goes; in the same way no e is left before the y of scary.
Scary in a sentence
Example 1: The thunder was so scary that my little sister hid under the blanket.
Example 2: We told scary ghost stories around the campfire.
Example 3: The tiger at the zoo gave a scary roar and then went back to sleep.
Fun Fact
The word goes back to the Old Norse skirra, meaning to frighten or to shy away, which came into English with Viking settlers.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word: scary
a) cheerful
b) boring
c) frightening
d) funny
Show answer
c) frightening. Something frightening makes you afraid, just like something scary.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) scairy
b) thrilling
c) nervous
d) surprise
Show answer
a) scairy. There is no i in scary; thrilling, surprise and nervous are all spelt correctly.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
My little brother finds the big slide skary, so he holds Papa's hand.
a) hand
b) skary
c) brother
d) slide
Show answer
b) skary. The k sound at the start is written with a c, as in scarf and scooter.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
rycas
a) scare
b) scary
c) scarce
d) scarf
Show answer
b) scary. Scarf ends in f, while scare and scarce both end in e; only scary fits the five letters.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Most children would find ____ scary.
a) a loud bang in a dark room
b) a warm cup of milk
c) a sunny garden at noon
d) a kitten fast asleep
Show answer
a) a loud bang in a dark room
2. If a ride at the fair is scary, it makes people feel ____.
a) afraid
b) sleepy
c) bored
d) hungry
Show answer
a) afraid
