100+ Spooky Halloween Vocabulary Words for Kids
Candace is a mom, mad scientist, and enthusiast of all things spooky. Needless to say, Halloween is her favorite holiday.

Halloween is a great time to combine fun with education—here are some spooky vocabulary words you can use in your celebrations.
This autumn, make vocabulary fun by incorporating word exercises into your children's Halloween celebrations. The words in these lists can be used in charades, story-writing, word searches, and other fun activities to introduce an educational twist to this year's Halloween.
Over 100 Halloween-related words are included in these vocabulary lists. Topics include trick or treating, monsters, scary sounds, gross materials, body parts, mad science, magic, and more! Spanish and French Halloween vocabulary is included as well.
Vocabulary Terms and Phrases for Halloween
All Hallows' Eve | Lantern | Prank |
Costume | Make-believe | Sweets |
Darkness | Monster | Shadows |
Decorations | Moonlight | Spiderweb |
Disguise | Night | Supernatural |
Dress-up | October | Superstition |
Holiday | Orange | Thirty-first |
Jack-o'-lantern | Party | Trick or treat |
Fall/Autumn Vocabulary Words
Acorn | Gourd | Pumpkin |
Autumn | Harvest | Scarecrow |
Cornmaze | Hayride | Squash |
Crop | Leaves | Squirrel |
Crow | Plow | Turkey |
Creepy Creatures That Love Halloween
Bat | Hound | Raccoon |
Bug | Owl | Spider |
Cat | Rat | Tarantula |
Crow | Snake | Worm |
Costume Idea Vocabulary Words
Animal | Orc | Queen |
Cartoon character | Pirate | Superhero |
Fairy | Pixie | Vampire |
King | Prince | Warlock |
Ninja | Princess | Werewolf |
Trick-or-Treat Vocabulary Words
Apple | Fangs | Mask |
Candy | Flashlight | Nighttime |
Cloak | Goodies | Safety |
Costume | Gown | Treat bag |
Doorbell | Hat | Wig |
Face paint | Makeup | Yummy |
Monsters and Creatures From Horror Movies
Alien | Giant | Vampire |
Boogeyman | Goblin | Villain |
Cyclops | Mummy | Warlock |
Extraterrestrial | Mutant | Werewolf |
Ghost | Shapeshifter | Witch |
Ghoul | Troll | Zombie |
Famous Halloween Characters
Addams Family | Frankenstein | Maleficent |
Beetlejuice | Great Pumpkin | Scooby Doo |
Casper | Harry Potter | Spookley, the Square Pumpkin |
Cruella de Vil | Headless Horseman | Ursula |
Dracula | Jack Skellington | Voldemort |
Read More From Holidappy
Scary Vocabulary Word List
Alarming | Fear | Scary |
Bloodcurdling | Frighten | Shocking |
Boo | Goosebumps | Spine-chilling |
Chilling | Hair-rising | Spooky |
Creepy | Horrify | Startling |
Eek | Nightmare | Unnerving |
Eerie | Petrified | Wicked |
Gross Vocabulary Words
Boogers | Mucus | Revolting |
Goo | Ooze | Rotten |
Gory | Pus | Slimy |
Icky | Repulsive | Snot |
Body Part Vocabulary Words
Blood | Eyeballs | Heart |
Bones | Femur | Lungs |
Brain | Fingernails | Skeleton |
Cadaver | Guts | Skull |
Ghostly Vocabulary Words
Apparition | Ectoplasm | Phantom |
Cemetery | Ghastly | Poltergeist |
Coffin | Ghoul | Reanimated |
Corpse | Graveyard | Spectral |
Crypt | Haunted house | Spirit |
Dead | Other-wordly | Tombstone |
Halloween Action Words
Battling | Creeping | Pretending |
Bobbing | Dancing | Raking |
Breaking | Decorating | Scaring |
Bulging | Partying | Slithering |
Bursting | Dribbling | Sneaking |
Carving | Fluttering | Sparkling |
Crawling | Grinning | Tricking |
Scary Halloween Sounds
Bellowing | Creaking | Screaming |
Bubbling | Hooting | Yelling |
Bumping | Howling | Thumping |
Cackling | Rattling | Whooshing |
Spanish Halloween Vocabulary Words
La araña (spider) | El cráneo (skull) | El fantasma (ghost) |
La bruja (witch) | La noche de brujas or el Halloween (Halloween) | La fiesta (party) |
La calabaza (pumpkin) | El dia de los muertes (Day of the Dead) | El gato negro (black cat) |
La calabaza iluminada or la jack-o'-lantern (jack-o'-lantern) | El diablo (devil) | El hombre lobo (werewolf) |
Los caramelos (candy) | El disfraz (costume) | La enmascarar (mask) |
La casa embrujada (haunted house) | El esqueleto (skeleton) | El maquillaje (makeup) |
El murciélago (bat) | El monstruo (monster) | La momia (mummy) |
La peluca (wig) | El/la superhéroe (superhero) | Truco o trato or queremos Halloween (trick or treat) |
French Halloween Vocabulary Words
La araignée (spider) | L'épouvantail (scarecrow) | Le monstre (monster) |
Les bonbons (candy) | Le fantôme (ghost) | La sorcière (witch) |
Le chat noir (black cat) | Le feu follet (jack-o'-lantern) | Le squelette (skeleton) |
Le chauve-souris (bat) | Friandises ou betise (trick or treat) | Toile d'araignée (web) |
Le cimetière (cemetery) | L'Halloween (Halloween) | Le vampire (vampire) |
Le citrouille (pumpkin) | Le loup-garou (werewolf) | Toussaint (All Saints' Day from October 31 to November 2) |
Le déguisement (costume) | La maison hantée (haunted house) | Le zombi (zombie) |
Le diable (devil) | Le masque (mask) | — |
Magical Vocabulary Words
Brew | Hocus pocus | Spell book |
Broom | Ingredients | Toad |
Cackle | Magic wand | Warlock |
Cauldron | Potion | Wicked |
Enchant | Spell | Wizardry |
Mad Science Vocabulary Words
Beaker | Flask | Petri dish |
Boiling | Goggles | Test tube |
Bunsen burner | Graduated cylinder | Thermometer |
Experiment | Lab coat | Wires |
Halloween Party Food Vocabulary Words
Candy Corn | Cupcakes | Pie |
Candied apple | Deviled eggs | Popcorn |
Cotton candy | Gummy Worms | Punch |
Fun Halloween Vocabulary Activities for Kids
Learning vocabulary words can be boring for kids. Here are some fun ideas you can use to spice up the learning process and entertain your children this fall.
- Incorporate the vocabulary words above into word searches and bingo games to make them more interesting.
- Create scavenger hunts for some of the items listed above.
- Play games of Jeopardy or Halloween Pictionary—the children will be so entertained that they won't even realize they are learning.
- Use jokes and puns to put a fun spin on vocabulary and keep the kids laughing.
- Encourage your kids to write their own Halloween stories using at least 10 of the above vocabulary words.
Who knew learning vocabulary could be so much fun?
Comments
Patrick.Jane on August 23, 2020:
waller 3822 rd
Ashton Trott on August 01, 2020:
wow, good!
Jessica pecuch on October 21, 2019:
My pet cat is sick
dulceromo on October 21, 2019:
thank you for the halloween words tHANK YOU
t h a n k s on September 23, 2019:
thank yiuuuuuu fir iucd
Lilyyyyyy on October 23, 2018:
i needed a website for a french Halloween
story tyyyy
shyann on September 17, 2018:
thx so much for these words they are coming to use for my spookey halloween story !!!!
Aaruhi on November 01, 2017:
Thanku so much I needed them for my project
Wendy Hier on October 22, 2017:
Thank you for the many Halloween words. I may use them on our donuts.
Sarah on October 16, 2014:
Thanks for the words.I really needed it.
Candace Bacon (author) from Mad Laboratories on October 23, 2012:
@donnetted: Thanks so much!
Donnette Davis from South Africa on October 23, 2012:
Absolutely delighted to find so many vocab "groups" here, so beautifully presented. Thank you. Liked, Bookmarked and Blessed x
PennyHowe on September 22, 2012:
I really enjoyed all of these list in one place. Thanks for compiling them. Very interesting. Happy Halloween to you and yours.