scar · scare

scar /skɑːr/ vs scare /skɛər/ — both end in R, but the vowel before it is completely different: the open /ɑːr/ of car vs the wide /ɛər/ of care.

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⠿ reorder

noun — a mark left on the skin after a wound heals — 'a scar on his arm' · 'emotional scars' · 'scar tissue'

mouth shape

long /ɑː/ + R — jaw drops wide, tongue low and back — like 'car', 'far', 'star' — the R colours the vowel but the main sound is very open

scar

/skɑːr/

vowel length

long /ɑː/

⠿ reorder

verb or noun — to frighten someone, or a sudden fright — 'you gave me a scare!' · 'don't scare me' · 'a bomb scare'

mouth shape

diphthong /ɛər/ — mouth opens to /ɛ/ (like 'bed') then glides into R — like 'care', 'dare', 'bare' — NOT as open as scar

scare

/skɛər/

vowel length

diphthong /eər/

R-coloured vowel spotlight

skar

/skɑːr/

very open — jaw drops wide

like car · far · star

≠

skare

/skɛər/

glides from /ɛ/ into R

like care · dare · bare

Key difference

Both end in R, but the vowel before it is different.scar has the very open /ɑː/— jaw drops as low as possible, like saying “ahh” at the doctor.scare has the diphthong /ɛər/— mouth opens to /ɛ/ (like “bed”) then glides into R, like “care” or “dare”.

Example sentences

scar:“He has a scar on his chin from a childhood fall.”

scar:“The fire left a scar on the wall.”

scare:“Don’t scare me like that!”

scare:“The loud noise gave everyone a scare.”

Hear it in a sentence

“The scar on his chin was from a cycling accident at age twelve.”

“The sudden alarm gave everyone in the office a terrible scare.”

Hear it in the wild

Real speech from native speakers — the most reliable way to check a pronunciation, since automated audio can vary by device and browser.

YouGlish↗

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