Afraid is most commonly followed by of, for, or to depending on the meaning. About is sometimes used in informal English. In is usually not directly linked to afraid.
Use afraid of for fears, afraid for when worrying about someone’s safety, and afraid to before an action. Afraid about appears in some informal contexts, especially for worry. Afraid in is not a standard adjective-preposition pattern.
These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.
Use afraid of for objects, situations, or outcomes that cause fear.
Use afraid for when you worry that someone may be harmed.
Use afraid to before an infinitive verb.
Afraid about is used by some speakers to mean worried about, especially in conversation.
The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.
Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.
Use afraid of for things and situations, not afraid for.
✕ She is afraid for snakes. ✓ She is afraid of snakes.Use afraid to plus verb, not afraid of to.
✕ He was afraid of to speak. ✓ He was afraid to speak.In usually introduces location, not a standard complement after afraid.
✕ She is afraid in spiders. ✓ She is afraid of spiders.Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.
Paste the complete sentence below. Linguix checks the preposition together with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.
It appears in informal English to mean worried about, but afraid of is more common in many contexts.
Afraid of describes fear of something. Afraid for describes concern about someone else's safety.
Not as a fixed adjective-preposition combination. In usually introduces a place, as in afraid in the dark.
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