Halloween Words for Kids (Free Printable Lists)
Fun and frightful Halloween words for kids to learn, plus free printable Halloween word lists!
Halloween is a magical time of year filled with costumes, candy, and spooky fun. It’s also a great opportunity to introduce kids to new words that capture the spirit of the season. In this post, we’ll explore some fun and easy Halloween words that are perfect for kids to learn. Some words are scarier sounding or more difficult than others. Be sure to choose those that are best suited for your child.
Why Teach Halloween Words?
Introducing children to Halloween words can enrich their language skills while tapping into the excitement and creativity of the season. More challenging Halloween-themed words like apparition and banshee can help grow your child’s vocabulary, while descriptive Halloween words, such as jagged and lurking can also help children enhance their storytelling abilities.
By connecting new words with the activities and experiences children enjoy, such as Halloween, they are often more likely to retain and use them.
Fun and Spooky Halloween Words with Definitions
Halloween is filled with unique and spooky words that can make learning exciting. From the eerie to the magical, these words aim to capture your child’s imagination. Here are some fun Halloween words that your child may not be familiar with. We’ve included definitions of each word to help grow their understanding of what each of these trickier Halloween words means:
amulet: a small object worn like jewelry that people believe gives them magical protection.
apparition: a ghost or spirit that suddenly appears and can be seen.
banshee: a ghostly woman whose loud cry warns that someone is about to die.
cauldron: a large, round pot used for boiling things, often associated with witches.
crypt: an underground room where people are buried, usually beneath a church.
enigma: something mysterious and difficult to understand.
gargoyle: a stone statue of a strange creature, often found on old buildings, that looks like it’s watching you.
gruesome: very scary or disgusting, often because of blood or injuries.
hex: a magical spell that is meant to cause bad things to happen to someone.
incantation: a series of special words spoken as a magic spell.
insidious: sneaky and harmful, something that causes harm in a secret or tricky way.
juggernaut: a powerful and unstoppable force or thing.
kraken: a giant sea monster from old stories, often shown as a big octopus or squid.
labyrinth: a complicated maze with many paths and dead ends.
mausoleum: a large, fancy building where dead people are buried above ground.
macabre: something that is scary because it’s about death or very creepy things.
nebulous: unclear, fuzzy, or hard to see and understand.
nefarious: very evil or wicked.
obscure: not well known or hard to understand.
omen: a sign or event that people believe tells what will happen in the future, often something bad.
phantasm: a ghost or a figment of the imagination that seems real but isn’t.
poltergeist: a noisy, mischievous ghost that moves things around.
quagmire: a muddy, soft ground that’s hard to walk on, or a difficult situation.
revenant: a ghost or spirit that has come back from the dead.
specter: another word for a ghost or spooky vision.
umbra: the darkest part of a shadow where all light is blocked.
visage: a face or the expression on a face.
viscous: thick and sticky, like honey or slime.
wraith: a ghostly figure that is often seen just before someone dies.
Comprehensive Halloween Word Lists
To help your child further expand their Halloween vocabulary, we have compiled extensive lists of Halloween-related words. These lists are categorized to make it easier for you to introduce new words in an organized manner.
Printable Halloween Words by Category
Common Halloween Words:
| bats | boo | broom | bones |
| candy | costume | ghost | graveyard |
| haunted house | jack-o’-lantern | monster | scarecrow |
| scary | skeleton | skull | spider web |
| spooky | trick or treat | witch |
Costume Ideas:
| clown | dragon | fairy | ghost |
| monster | mummy | ninja | pirate |
| princess | pumpkin | robot | skeleton |
| superhero | vampire | werewolf | witch |
| wizard | zombie |
Easy Halloween Words:
| apple | bat | bones | boo |
| candy | cat | crow | evil |
| fall | fog | grim | mask |
| owl | spell | skull | yell |
Spooky Halloween Words:
| bones | cemetery | coffin | corpse |
| crypt | dead | fangs | haunt |
| horror | incantation | graveyard | gruesome |
| monster | skeleton | skull | sinister |
| terrifying | tombstone | undead | unearthly |
| vampire | wicked | witch | zombie |
Halloween Words That Aren’t Scary
| apple | black | boo | candy |
| cat | costume | decoration | fall |
| jack o’ lantern | leaves | October | orange |
| owl | party | pumpkin | trick or treat |
Halloween Word Lists by Letter
These free printable Halloween word lists can be used for various activities such as spelling practice, vocabulary exercises, and creative writing prompts.
List of Halloween Words (A-Z)
Letter A Halloween Words
| abominable | abracadabra | afraid | agony | alarming |
| alien | amulet | apple | apparition | arachnid |
| asylum | autumn | awful | ax |
Letter B Halloween Words
| banshee | bat | beast | beware | bite |
| black | blood | bones | boo | broom |
| broomstick | bucket | bug |
Letter C Halloween Words
| cackle | candy | carve | cauldron | cat |
| cemetery | cloak | coffin | cobweb | costume |
| creature | creepy | crisp | crypt | cursed |
Letter D Halloween Words
| dark | darkness | dead | disguise | doom |
| doorbell | Dracula | dress-up | dungeon | dust |
| dusky |
Letter E Halloween Words
| ectoplasm | echo | elf | enchanted | endless |
| enigma | entity | escape | eerie | evil |
| eyeball | eyes |
Letter F Halloween Words
| face-paint | fangs | fear | feline | flashlight |
| fog | forest | freaky | fright | frightened |
| frightful | funhouse | fury |
Letter G Halloween Words
| gargoyle | ghost | ghoul | gloom | goblin |
| gory | grave | graveyard | grim | grimace |
| groan | grotesque | gruesome |
Letter H Halloween Words
| Halloween | haunt | haunted | haunting | hayride |
| hex | hide | hocus-pocus | hobgoblin | hood |
| horrify | horror | howl | hush |
Letter I Halloween Words
| ick | icy | illusion | imp | incantation |
| incognito | infernal | insidious | intense | intrigue |
| invisible | isolation | ivy |
Letter J Halloween Words
| jack-o’-lantern | jagged | jail | jeepers | jester |
| jinx | jolt | journey | juggernaut | jumpy |
| jungle |
Letter K Halloween Words
| keeper | kettle | key | kick | knock |
| kooky | kraken |
Letter L Halloween Words
| labyrinth | lair | lantern | leech | leery |
| legend | loathing | lore | lost | lurk |
| lurking | lynx |
Letter M Halloween Words
| macabre | magic | magician | mask | mausoleum |
| menace | midnight | mischief | moan | monster |
| moon | moonlight | morbid | mummy | mystery |
| mystical |
Letter N Halloween Words
| nasty | nausea | nebulous | nefarious | netherworld |
| nerve | night | nightmare | nocturnal | noise |
| numb |
Letter O Halloween Words
| October | odd | obscure | ogre | omen |
| orb | ooze | outcry | outfit | overcast |
| overgrown | overwhelm | owl |
Letter P Halloween Words
| paranormal | peril | petrify | phantasm | phantom |
| piercing | pirate | poltergeist | portal | potion |
| prank | prowl | pumpkin |
Letter Q Halloween Words
| quagmire | quake | quarantine | quarrel | queen |
| quest | quick | quicksand | quicksilver | quench |
| quirky | quiver | quiet |
Letter R Halloween Words
| rancid | rattle | raven | razor | reaper |
| realm | repel | revenant | revenge | ritual |
| robes | rotten | rune | rustling | ruthless |
Letter S Halloween Words
| scarecrow | scary | shadow | shriek | sinister |
| skeleton | slime | slither | sorcerer | spell |
| spider | specter | spirit | spooky | supernatural |
Letter T Halloween Words
| talisman | tattered | terror | thorn | thriller |
| thunder | toad | tomb | torment | torch |
| Transylvania | treasure | treat | trick | troll |
| twilight |
Letter U Halloween Words
| uncanny | underworld | undead | unearthly | unknown |
| unravel | unsettling | umbra | upside-down | uproar |
| urchin | usher |
Letter V Halloween Words
| vein | venom | vex | villain | vision |
| visage | viscous | vault | vanish | vampire |
| vortex | vulture |
Letter W Halloween Words
| wailing | wand | web | werewolf | whisper |
| wicked | wickedness | wisp | witch | witchcraft |
| witchery | witchy | wonder | wraith |
Letter X Halloween Words
| x-ray | x-ray vision | xenomorph |
Letter Y Halloween Words
| yelp | yeti | yikes | yowl | yucky |
Letter Z Halloween Words
| zany | zap | zing | zombie | zoom |
Additional Halloween Activities
Besides learning Halloween words, kids can enjoy a variety of fun activities to celebrate the season.
⭐ Halloween Crafts
Invite your children to join you in some hands-on halloween fun by creating spooky crafts like melting monsters or hanging bats. These activities are also fun ideas for Halloween parties, as long as there are plenty of adults on hand to help.
⭐ Hold a Costume parade
Encourage creativity by setting a fun theme or leaving it open for any costume. You could also provide small prizes or certificates for different categories, such as “Most Creative” or “Best Homemade Costume,” to make everyone feel appreciated and included.
⭐ Halloween Themed Scavenger Hunt
Utilize items from the above lists to create a fun and eerie experience. Participants can search for hidden objects like a jack-o’-lantern, witch’s wand, and clothing that looks like a vampire’s cloak. Add a twist by including a list of specific sounds to listen for, such as a werewolf’s howl (dog howl) or a whisper.
⭐ Halloween Coloring Pages
Get our FREE printable Halloween coloring pages and combine coloring with vocabulary practice. As children color a witch, they can learn words like “wand,” “cauldron,” and “broomstick.” You can also create flashcards with images and words for them to match with the coloring pages.
Discover Our Online Learning Tools
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Additional Resources
ABCmouse has educational resources for children aged 2-8, as well as resources to help parents and teachers.
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