frighten

Compared meaning: to make someone feel afraid (verb).

比较义项：使害怕，惊吓（动词）。

• scare

  Scare emphasizes a sudden, startling fright — something abrupt gives you a scare — and is the more common, informal word in everyday speech.

  scare 强调突然的、令人一惊的恐惧——某个突发状况会让人“吓一跳”，是日常口语中更常用、更随意的词。

  The sudden bang from the kitchen scared me half to death.

  厨房里突然传来的巨响把我吓得半死。

• frighten 本词

  Frighten covers fear more broadly, including a lasting sense of dread or apprehension rather than just a sudden startle, and is slightly more formal or written in tone.

  frighten 涵盖的恐惧范围更广，既可以指突然的惊吓，也可以指持续的忧虑或不安，语气略显正式，更常见于书面语。

  The thought of losing his job frightened him for weeks.

  失业的念头让他忧心忡忡了好几个星期。

Scare and frighten both mean to make someone afraid. Scare stresses a sudden shock and is more common in everyday speech. Frighten is broader, covering lasting fear or unease, and sounds a little more formal or written.

这两个词都表示使人感到害怕，语义相近但侧重不同：scare 强调突然的惊吓，日常口语中更常用；frighten 语义更宽泛，可以指持续的恐惧或不安，语气略显正式，多见于书面语。