Scary or Scarey: Which Is Correct?

Updated 2026-10-12 · Which One Is Correct editorial team

Quick answer: When trying to describe something frightening, the correct spelling is scary, while scarey is a common misspelling. This word describes the feeling of fear or horror that a person might experience. Understanding this distinction helps ensure your writing remains clear and professional to any reader you choose to engage with on the page.

The Short Answer

Scary is the correct spelling, whereas scarey is a misspelling that should be avoided in formal writing.

People often confuse these words because the root word is scare, and adding -y seems logical to many.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Form	Status	Use it when
Scary	Correct	When describing frightening things or people
Scarey	Incorrect	Never use this form in standard English

Correct Example Sentences

The movie was truly scary, leaving everyone on the edge of their seats.
That scary ghost story made my friends refuse to sleep alone.
Please do not tell scary tales while we are trying to relax.
The scary clown at the fair was the reason I did not go back.
Her scary reputation followed her throughout her entire career.
The scary sounds in the basement made the dog howl all night.
Avoid the scary area after dark if you value your safety.
The scary mask he wore hid his identity from everyone.
She tried to act scary to frighten the intruder away.
That scary book was the last one I ever wanted to read.
The scary dream woke me up in a cold sweat.
It is scary to see how fast technology can change our lives.
The scary storm caused the power to go out across the entire town.

Common Mistakes and Fixes

People often write scarey because the word ends in y like happy or silly.: The correct spelling is scary since it shares the root scare but ends in y.
A common error is adding an e to scare before adding the y at the end.: Drop the e and simply write scary to keep the correct form.
Many writers think the extra e makes the word easier to read.: Removing the extra e results in the standard and accepted spelling of scary.
Students sometimes confuse scary with words like funny or lazy that have similar endings.: Remember that the root word scare changes to scary, not scarey, just like how fun changes to funny.
Some people believe that adding an e follows the rule for adding y to words.: That rule applies to words ending in vowel and consonant, but scare becomes scary by dropping the e.
You might see scarey in old texts or informal notes as a frequent typo.: Always use scary in formal writing and modern digital communication to avoid errors.
The suffix y indicates quality or state, which fits with the base word scare.: This means the correct form combines scare and y without an extra letter in between.
Even experienced writers occasionally mistype scary as scarey when typing quickly.: Check your work to ensure you did not accidentally insert an unnecessary e.
Using scarey can make your writing look less professional and more careless.: Stick with scary to maintain accuracy and credibility in all your documents.

Related Word Pairs

bare vs. bear: bare means naked while bear is the animal
desert vs. dessert: desert is arid land while dessert is a sweet treat
peace vs. piece: peace denotes calm while piece is a part of something
definitely vs. definitively: definitely expresses certainty while definitively shows manner
principal vs. principle: principal is the head while principle is a rule
stationary vs. stationery: stationary means not moving while stationery refers to writing materials
flour vs. flower: flour is used for baking while flower is a plant
accept vs. except: accept means to take while except means to exclude