skeered / skeert
Scared. Plain rural Southern way to say you're afraid.
Also called skeered, skeert, askeered.
Updated September 24, 2026
skeered / skeert pronunciation
/SKEERD / SKEERT/
Meaning
Same meaning as scared, just said the way a lot of redneck and Appalachian talk actually sounds. You can be skeered of snakes, skeered of the dark, or skeered somebody is about to tell on you. Skeert is the same word with a tighter ending. Folks also say somebody skeered them (as a verb), like a coyote howl that nearly skeered you out of your boots.
How folks use it
- “I ain't going in that barn. I'm skeered of bats.”
- “That thunder skeert the dogs half to death.”
Origin and etymology
Eye-dialect spelling of scared that shows how Southern and Appalachian speakers often say the word. Closely tied to older forms like a-scared and askeered. Dialect surveys and Appalachian word lists still mark skeered as everyday scared talk, not a separate fancy word.
Frequently asked questions
Is skeert different from skeered?
No. Same word. Skeert just cuts the ending a little shorter in writing.