Scaring and scarring look almost identical, but they come from different verbs and have very different meanings. Scaring comes from scare and means making someone or something feel afraid. Scarring comes from scar and means forming or causing a lasting physical mark, or causing lasting emotional harm. Merriam-Webster lists scared; scaring as forms of scare and scarred; scarring as forms of scar.
The extra r matters. If a horror movie is frightening you, it is scaring you. If an injury leaves a permanent mark on your skin, it may be scarring you.
Quick Answer
Scaring means causing fear or making someone frightened. Scarring means leaving a scar, damaging a surface, or causing lasting emotional harm. For example, “The loud noise is scaring the dog” refers to fear, while “The burn is scarring his skin” refers to a lasting mark.
Scaring vs Scarring at a Glance
| Word | Comes From | Main Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scaring | scare | Causing fear or fright | You are scaring the baby. |
| Scarring | scar | Leaving a lasting mark or injury | The cut is scarring her skin. |
| Scaring | scare | Making a person or animal afraid | The fireworks are scaring the dog. |
| Scarring | scar | Causing lasting emotional damage | The experience was emotionally scarring. |
A simple memory rule is:
Scaring = fear.
Scarring = lasting damage or a scar.
What Does Scaring Mean?
Scaring is the present participle of the verb scare. To scare someone means to frighten or alarm that person, especially suddenly. Merriam-Webster gives the verb forms as scared; scaring, while Cambridge defines scare as making a person or animal feel frightened.
Examples:
- The thunder is scaring the children.
- Stop scaring your little brother.
- Those sudden noises are scaring the dog.
- The movie is scaring me more than I expected.
- He enjoys scaring his friends on Halloween.
In each sentence, someone or something is causing fear.
Scaring Someone
One of the most common patterns is:
scaring + person or animal
You’re scaring me.
This means:
You’re making me feel afraid.
Another example:
The fireworks are scaring our dog.
The fireworks are causing the dog to become frightened.
What Does Scarring Mean?
Scarring comes from the verb scar. As a verb, scar can mean to leave a physical scar, damage a surface, or cause lasting injury. Merriam-Webster lists scarred; scarring as the verb forms and includes both physical marking and lasting injury among its meanings.
Examples:
- The injury is scarring his skin.
- Dragging the furniture is scarring the floor.
- Severe acne can cause scarring.
- The experience had a scarring effect on him.
Cambridge also recognizes scarring as the present participle of scar and as a noun referring to marks left after injuries, rashes, or medical procedures have healed.
Scaring vs Scarring: The Main Difference
The main difference is fear versus lasting damage.
Use scaring when something causes a frightened reaction:
That mask is scaring the kids.
Use scarring when something causes or leaves a lasting mark:
The wound is scarring badly.
The distinction can also be emotional.
The story is scaring her.
She feels afraid now.
The experience is scarring her.
The experience is causing deeper or potentially lasting emotional harm.
Merriam-Webster recognizes scar figuratively as causing lasting injury as well as literally marking something with a scar.
Why Does Scarring Have Two R’s?
The spelling comes from the different base words:
scare → scaring
scar → scarring
With scare, the final silent e is removed before adding -ing:
scare + ing → scaring
With scar, the final r is doubled before -ing:
scar + r + ing → scarring
The dictionary forms confirm these spellings: Merriam-Webster lists scared; scaring under scare and scarred; scarring under scar.
That extra r is therefore not optional. It changes which base verb the word represents.
How to Use Scaring Correctly
Use scaring when a person, animal, event, object, or situation is causing fear.
A Person Causing Fear
You’re scaring your sister.
The person’s behavior is making the sister afraid.
A Sound Causing Fear
The alarm is scaring the baby.
The sound is frightening the baby.
An Animal Becoming Afraid
The storm is scaring our horses.
The storm is causing fear in the animals.
A Movie Causing Fear
This movie is really scaring me.
The movie is creating a frightened reaction.
In these cases, scaring is connected directly with the meaning of scare: to frighten.
How to Use Scarring Correctly
Use scarring when something forms a scar, causes a lasting mark, damages a surface, or leaves lasting emotional harm.
Physical Scarring
The burn is scarring her arm.
A lasting mark is forming as the injury heals.
Skin Scarring
He was worried about scarring after the injury.
Here, scarring refers to the formation or presence of scars.
Damage to an Object
The heavy boxes are scarring the wooden floor.
Scar can also refer to marks or indentations caused by damage or wear, so scarring is not limited to human skin.
Emotional Scarring
The traumatic experience left lasting emotional scars.
The verb scar can describe lasting emotional or psychological injury as well as physical damage.
Scaring vs Scarring in Sentences
Compare these pairs carefully.
Example 1
The dog is scaring the child.
The child is becoming afraid of the dog.
The dog is scarring the child.
This much stronger sentence suggests that the dog is causing physical scars or lasting harm.
Example 2
The accident is scaring her.
She is afraid because of the accident.
The accident is scarring her.
The accident is causing a lasting physical or emotional effect.
Example 3
The loud machine is scaring the workers.
It is frightening them.
The machine is scarring the floor.
It is leaving damage or marks on the floor.
Example 4
The horror movie is scaring him.
He feels frightened while watching it.
The experience was scarring for him.
The experience affected him in a deeper, more lasting way.
Scaring vs Scarring Pronunciation
The two words are not pronounced the same in standard American English because their base words, scare and scar, have different vowel sounds.
Scaring: roughly SKAIR-ing
Scarring: roughly SKAR-ing
Merriam-Webster gives scare the pronunciation represented by sker and scar with the vowel heard in American car.
Listening for that vowel can help:
scare → scaring
scar → scarring
However, the spelling difference is even easier to remember because scarring always contains rr.
Scared vs Scarred
The same difference appears in the past forms.
Scared comes from scare.
I was scared by the noise.
You felt afraid.
Scarred comes from scar.
His arm was scarred after the accident.
His arm was left with a lasting physical mark.
Merriam-Webster lists these forms directly as scared; scaring and scarred; scarring.
The same memory rule works:
scared = afraid
scarred = marked or permanently affected
Scary vs Scarring
Scary and scarring can also be confused, especially when describing unpleasant experiences.
A scary experience makes you afraid:
The haunted house was scary.
A scarring experience causes lasting harm:
The event was emotionally scarring.
Something can be scary without being scarring.
For example, a roller coaster may feel scary for a few minutes without causing lasting emotional damage. By contrast, calling something scarring suggests a much more serious and lasting effect. Merriam-Webster defines scar figuratively in terms of lasting injury, which makes scarring stronger than simply scary in this context.
Is Scarring Only About Skin?
No.
Physical skin scars are one common meaning, but scarring can also apply to objects and emotional experiences.
Skin
The wound caused noticeable scarring.
Objects
The metal legs were scarring the wood.
Emotional Harm
The experience had a deeply scarring effect.
Merriam-Webster defines scar not only as a mark left after injured tissue heals but also as damage to objects and a lasting emotional or moral injury.
Is Scaring the Same as Frightening?
In many contexts, scaring and frightening express similar ideas because both involve causing fear.
The noise is scaring me.
The noise is frightening me.
Both sentences can mean that the noise is making the speaker afraid. Merriam-Webster includes frightening among the close synonyms associated with scaring.
However, grammar and style can affect which form sounds more natural in a particular sentence.
For example:
That movie is scary.
is usually more natural than:
That movie is scaring.
But:
That movie is scaring the children.
is perfectly natural because scaring has an object: the children.
Is Scarring the Same as Damaging?
Sometimes, but scarring is more specific.
Damaging can describe almost any type of harm.
Scarring often suggests a visible mark, disfigurement, or a lasting effect.
Compare:
The chemicals are damaging the surface.
The surface is being harmed.
The chemicals are scarring the surface.
The damage is leaving noticeable marks.
Similarly, emotional scarring suggests harm that continues beyond the immediate experience.
Common Mistakes With Scaring and Scarring
Mistake 1: Using Scarring When You Mean Frightening
Incorrect:
You are scarring me!
If you simply mean that someone is making you afraid, write:
Correct:
You are scaring me!
Using scarring suggests lasting physical or emotional harm.
Mistake 2: Using Scaring for a Physical Scar
Incorrect:
The cut is scaring my skin.
Correct:
The cut is scarring my skin.
A scar is forming, so you need the form of scar, not scare.
Mistake 3: Forgetting the Second R
Incorrect:
The burn is scaring badly.
That spelling means “causing fear.”
Correct:
The burn is scarring badly.
Here, the meaning involves formation of a scar.
Mistake 4: Confusing Scared and Scarred
Scared means frightened:
She was scared.
Scarred means marked or permanently affected:
She was scarred by the injury.
The additional r changes both the base word and the meaning.
Easy Way to Remember Scaring vs Scarring
Remember the base words:
SCARE → SCARING
If there is fear, you need scare:
The noise is scaring me.
SCAR → SCARRING
If there is a scar or lasting mark, keep the word scar in mind:
The injury is scarring my skin.
An even shorter memory trick is:
Scaring = scared.
Scarring = scarred.
If you can decide whether you mean afraid or marked, you can usually choose the correct spelling immediately.
Example Sentences With Scaring
- The thunder is scaring the puppy.
- Stop scaring your younger brother.
- That strange sound is scaring me.
- The Halloween decorations are scaring some children.
- His reckless driving is scaring the passengers.
- The sudden flashes were scaring the horses.
- She laughed after scaring her friend.
- The horror game keeps scaring me.
All of these examples involve causing fear.
Example Sentences With Scarring
- The burn may cause scarring.
- The injury is scarring the skin.
- Moving the desk is scarring the wooden floor.
- The deep cut healed with little scarring.
- Doctors discussed the possibility of scarring after the procedure.
- Repeated damage was scarring the surface.
- The experience had a lasting scarring effect.
- She was concerned about visible scarring.
These uses involve physical marks, surface damage, or lasting effects.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between scaring and scarring?
Scaring means making someone or something afraid. Scarring means forming or leaving a scar, damaging a surface, or causing lasting emotional harm. They come from the separate verbs scare and scar.
Is it “you are scaring me” or “you are scarring me”?
If you mean “you are making me afraid,” write “You are scaring me.” “You are scarring me” has a much stronger meaning and suggests that the person is causing lasting physical or emotional harm.
Is it scaring or scarring after an injury?
Use scarring when talking about the marks that may remain after an injury heals. Cambridge defines scarring as marks left after an injury, rash, or medical procedure has healed.
Why does scarring have two r’s?
Scarring comes from scar, which forms scarred and scarring. Scaring comes from scare, which forms scared and scaring.
Does scarring mean emotional damage?
It can. The verb scar can refer figuratively to lasting emotional injury, so a highly damaging experience may be described as emotionally scarring.
What does “scaring someone” mean?
It means causing that person to feel frightened or alarmed. For example, “The loud noises are scaring the children” means the noises are making them afraid.
Are scary and scarring the same?
No. Scary describes something that causes fear, while scarring suggests physical damage or a lasting harmful effect. Something can be scary without leaving any lasting scar or emotional injury.
Conclusion
The difference between scaring vs scarring comes down to fear versus lasting damage. Scaring comes from scare and means making someone afraid. Scarring comes from scar and means leaving a physical mark, damaging a surface, or causing lasting emotional injury.
Remember the spelling through the base words: scare → scaring and scar → scarring. If someone is frightened, use scaring. If a scar or lasting effect is involved, use scarring.
