can be used in the same context in some situations but they do have some nuances, and they don’t fit properly in any situation, one might adjust better than the rest. To start off, grammatically speaking, both fear and scare can be noun and verb while afraid is the adjective of fear. Scare is something that element A inflicts on element B per se. Dogs scare her. I scared my sister. They were scared of him It is to make someone or an animal frightened. It is something the victim suffers from the perpetrator. Scare might also have a slightly visceral connotation, the reason of being so frightened is much more specific and physical, while fear seems to be a somehow less defined feeling of dread, it has a more psychological side to it. Fear is different, you can’t grammatically use it directly as in ‘I scared someone’ but you definitely can ‘strike fear in someone’s heart’. It is something inspired by someone else (as in a passive way), it is also the abstract concept of fright; the superlative being terror. The difference may become clearer with the following example: SCARE I scare you→ I inflicted fright on you. I am scared→ I am the one who is frightened FEAR I fear you→ I am the one frightened/ scared of you I am feared→ I inspire fright onto others Fear has a more looming property to it than scare, it is more ominous and permanent, while scare is more related to a swift ephemeral state of mind, more sudden and sharp. I was scared for a moment. It is not usual to say, ‘I feared for a moment’. The verb scare adjusts better in that context. On the other hand, afraid is an adjective that can be used in different contexts that are not necessarily related to fright. I am afraid I can’t help you It is a polite way (or even sarcastic, depending on how you use it) of saying that you can’t assist them, which does in no way mean that you are scared or that you feel fear.

scared is an adjective and fear is a verb here. they have the same meaning basically, just "fear" is a little more of an advanced word. I fear that ... could be the same with I'm afraid that...

I am scared is a condition of being. You are, in the present tense, afraid of something or someone. Unless you say: I am scared of ...(bugs, snakes, darkness, etc.) Which is similar to "I fear this/that." On this way you may not be actively afraid at that very moment. For fear, as it is a verb, it may mean that something scares you when it occurs or when you see it, that person, etc. Another detail with fear is that it also doesn't have to mean bein afraid all the time. For instance: I fear for his life. This would mean I have concerns for his health. You don't usually say I scare for his life.

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One difference is simply that "fear" is more formal. "He's scared of bears." [Conversational, slightly informal. It can sometimes sound childish if you say you're "scared" of something.] "He's afraid of bears." [Either conversational or formal. "Afraid" sounds normal in almost any circumstance.] "He fears bears." [Formal or literary.] "Scared" is usually used literally, when you feel that something is dangerous or frightening ("scared of spiders," "scared of falling"). "Fear" and "afraid" can be used the same way (you can have a "fear of spiders"), but they can also be used with a milder meaning, more like "worried" ("I'm afraid this class will be too hard for me," "I fear it may rain"). One other difference is that "I fear" needs to be followed by an object, e.g. "I fear we'll be late" or "I fear monsters." It doesn't make sense to simply say "I fear." You have to fear *something*. By contrast, "I'm scared" can be a complete sentence by itself, or you can add a preposition and an object, e.g. "I'm scared that we'll be late" or "I'm scared of monsters."