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"frighten" is also used as a crossword clue. If that's what you saw, the answer is often scare (5 letters).
Definitions
To make someone afraid.
Word origin
From Middle English *frightenen, equivalent to fright + -en.
Used in a sentence
“Avery puts a sheet over her head, pretending to be a ghost to frighten Emily.”
“His Deſign was only to frighten France, and get more Money.”
“You may frighten a pig, a goose, a frog, and even a fly, but you cannot frighten or surprise a sloth.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer1 curated clues
01“Scare badly”8 letters
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