Sign In Get Started
Prepositions after adjectives

Scary for or scary to?

Scary for and scary to are both used in English, but they express different ideas. Scary for usually refers to risk or concern for someone, while scary to describes a person's reaction.

Quick answer

Scary for vs. scary to

Use scary to someone for emotional reaction: The film was scary to the children. Use scary for someone when something creates danger, difficulty, or concern for them: Climbing alone is scary for beginners.

The storm was scary to the tourists.
Driving at night can be scary for new drivers.
That mask looked scary to my nephew.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
scary to + person

Showing who feels frightened

Use scary to before a person or group experiencing fear or discomfort.

The haunted house was scary to small children.
Public speaking feels scary to many students.
2
scary for + person

Showing risk or concern for someone

Use scary for when discussing a situation that may be difficult, dangerous, or worrying for a person.

The surgery was scary for the family.
Moving abroad can be scary for teenagers.
3
scary + noun

Describing something frightening

Scary can directly describe a thing, event, or experience without a preposition.

scary movie
scary experience

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
scary to
The noise was scary to the dog.
The dog felt frightened.
scary for
The long journey was scary for the children.
The situation caused worry or difficulty for them.
scary for someone to do something
It is scary for him to speak in public.
An activity feels difficult or frightening for a person.
scary to do something
It is scary to drive in heavy snow.
The action itself feels frightening in general.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using scary to for risk instead of reaction

Use scary for when discussing a difficult or risky situation affecting someone.

✕ The exam was scary to new students. ✓ The exam was scary for new students.

Using scary for when describing emotional reaction

Use scary to when focusing on who feels afraid.

✕ The clown was scary for the child. ✓ The clown was scary to the child.

Adding an unnecessary preposition

Scary can directly modify a noun.

✕ a scary of story ✓ a scary story

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The dark tunnel looked ___ the tourists.
2. Starting a new school can be ___ teenagers.
3. It is ___ speak in front of a large audience.

Check your sentence in context

Paste the complete sentence below. Linguix checks the preposition together with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.

Free to try · No signup required

Frequently asked questions

Can scary to and scary for both be correct?

Yes. The choice depends on meaning. Scary to focuses on fear felt by someone, while scary for focuses on risk or concern affecting someone.

Is scary of correct?

No. Scary is not normally followed by of.

Can I say scary for me to do something?

Yes. For example: It was scary for me to move to another country.

sacred-to-in-by-of, for "sad for" or "sad about"? "safe for", "safe from" or "safe in"? sanguine about, in, of, on or for? "satisfactory to" or "satisfactory for"? satisfied with, of, by, in or on? "satisfying for" or "satisfying to"? scarce in, for, at, on or of? scared of, to, about, for or by? "scathing about", "scathing in" or "scathing of"? "sceptical about" or "sceptical of"? searchable by, on, in, via or through?

Write with confidence in Linguix

Create a free account to check complete texts, apply suggestions, and save your documents.

Create a free account