| Item |
Match |
Pronunciation |
Comments |
| banshee |
an unhappy, wailing ghost which features in Irish and Scottish folklore. |
/bænʃi:/ |
Banshees are said to appear when somebody is about to die.
|
| black cat |
They are said to bring good luck in parts of the UK and Ireland. |
/blæk kæt/ |
According to folklore, black cats are said to have supernatural powers and witches often keep them as pets.
In most places, though, black cats are supposed to be unlucky (because they are associated to witches)
|
| vampire |
an undead creature who sleeps in a coffin by day and ventures out at night to drink people's blood |
/væmpaɪə*/ |
|
| fangs |
sharp, pointy upper front teeth, designed for piercing flesh |
/fæŋgz/ |
for example, vampires have two fangs to bite people on their necks and suck blood
|
| shadow |
a dark shape cast by an object positioned between a surface and a source of light |
/ʃædəʊ/ |
|
| lantern |
a type of lamp |
/læntə*n/ |
|
| spider |
an insect with eight legs that spins webs |
/spaɪdə*/ |
|
| coffin |
a container for a dead body; generally made of wood and lined with silk with a hinged lid |
/kɒfɪn/ |
|
| broom |
a type of brush with a long wooden handle used by witches to fly, according to legend |
/brʊm/ |
Also broomstick
|
| phantom |
a ghostly apparition |
/fæntəm/ |
|
| casket |
coffin |
/kɑ:skɪt/ |
|
| festival |
a celebration or special event |
/festɪvəl/ |
|
| cemetery |
a place where dead people are buried |
/semətrɪ/ |
also: GRAVEYARD
|
| wraith |
a Scottish word that means ghost |
/reɪθ/ |
|
| bat |
a small flying mammal, with leathery wings |
/bæt/ |
According to legend, vampires are said to be able to turn into bats.
|
| spell |
a magic rite cast by witches |
/spel/ |
|
| skull |
the bony part of the head, attached to a person's skeleton |
/skʌl/ |
|
| creepy |
unsettling or scary |
/kri:pɪ/ |
|
| Wicca |
a modern pagan witchcraft religion |
/wɪkə/ |
Wicca is a pagan religion born in 20th century England though they claim to feed on old traditions in an effort to gain some credibility. It is a religion centred upon the idea of gender polarity and the worship of two deities: Moon Goddess and Horned God.
|
| disguise |
a costume, often worn for fun at Halloween parties by adults and children alike |
/dɪsgaɪs/ |
also: FANCY DRESS
|
| zombie |
a living dead (and a man-eating creature) |
/zɒmbɪ/ |
|
| howl |
a high pitched noise made by wolves and dogs |
/haʊl/ |
|
| moon |
large, round satellite that revolves around The Earth which can be seen in the sky at night |
/mu:n/ |
|
| devil |
an evil spirit |
/devɪl/ |
|
| wicked |
bad or evil |
/wɪkɪd/ |
|
| horror |
shock or fright |
/hɒrə*/ |
Horror films are very popular and are often shown on television at Halloween
|
| werewolf |
a person who turns into a wolf whenever there is a full moon |
/weəwʊlf/ |
According to folklore, if a person is bitten by a werewolf, then they become a werewolf too.
|
| bogeyman |
a fictional scary person used to frighten children who misbehave |
/bʊgɪmæn/ |
This monster has no specific appearance in the mind of an adult or child, but is simply a non-specific embodiment of terror.
|
| cloak |
an outer garment or cape |
/kləʊk/ |
vampires wear a long black clock on their backs, often with a red lining
|
| sweets |
sugary treats given to children at Halloween |
/swi:ts/ |
in American English the word used is CANDIES
|
| boo! |
a word which is sometimes used to frighten people when playing tricks |
/bu:/ |
|
| candy |
sweet treats given to children at Halloween |
/kændɪ/ |
used in American English. In British English the word is SWEET
|
| evil |
malicious, bad, ill intentioned |
/i:vəl/ |
|
| scythe |
a long, sharp and curved blade |
/saɪð/ |
|
| magic |
the ability or power to make things happen by casting spells; performing tricks |
/mædʒɪk/ |
|
| Jack O'Lantern |
a lantern carved from a pumpkin with a candle inside |
/dʒæk əlæntə*n/ |
|
| tomb |
a place where a dead person has been buried |
/tu:m/ |
|
| skeleton |
the hard inner frame of a person's or an animal's body, formed from bones that join together |
/skelətən/ |
|
| blood |
red liquid running through veins of people and warm blooded creatures |
/blʌd/ |
|
| demon |
a devil |
/di:mən/ |
|
| haunted |
a place frequented by ghosts or other spirits of the death |
/hɔ:ntɪd/ |
|
| nightmare |
a scary bad dream |
/naɪtmeə*/ |
|
| grave |
a burial space for a coffin in a cemetery |
/greɪv/ |
Also: TOMB
|
| prank |
a trick or practical joke |
/præŋk/ |
|
| gory |
bloody, macabre |
/gɔ:rɪ/ |
|
| ghost |
undead spirit that haunts houses |
/gəʊst/ |
|
| trick |
a practical joke |
/trɪk/ |
|
| to frighten |
to scare |
/tə fraɪtən/ |
|
| ghoul |
a fictional flesh eating monster that is said to rob graves, according to folklore |
/gu:l/ |
|
| mausoleum |
an ornate, stone cemetery building, built to house the coffins of rich or famouse people |
/mɔ:səlɪəm/ |
Also for members of the same family.
|
| candle |
a wax cylinder with a wick in the middle that can be lit with a match to provide light |
/kændəl/ |
|
| monster |
a fearful, horrid imaginary creature |
/mɒnstə*/ |
|
| corpse |
a dead body |
/kɔ:ps/ |
|
| gruesome |
repellent, horrible, bloody, macabre |
/gru:səm/ |
|
| to scare |
to frighten a person or animal |
/tə skeə*/ |
|
| fiend |
a monster or demon |
/fi:nd/ |
also an old word for ENEMY
|
| costume |
a make-believe outfit worn for fun at Halloween |
/kɒstju:m/ |
also DISGUISE or FANCY DRESS
|
| goblin |
a small, ugly, mischevious creature with a reputation for causing trouble |
/gɒblɪn/ |
|
| scary |
something which is frightening |
/skeərɪ/ |
|
| bag |
a container for candy/sweets used by kids who dress up in customes to carry the sweets they collect |
/bæg/ |
|
| cape |
a long and voluminous outer garment, or cloak. Often worn by vampires. |
/keɪp/ |
|
| mummy |
a dead person who was buried wrapped in bandages |
/mʌmɪ/ |
based on the Egyptian mummies wrapped in bandages inside a sarcophagus.
|
| treat |
a fun and unexpected surprise designed to please someone |
/tri:t/ |
|
| shock |
fright |
/fraɪt/ |
|
| apparition |
A transparent, ghostly figure |
/æpərɪʃən/ |
|
| spooky |
midly scary though often in a fun way |
/spu:kɪ/ |
|
| warlock |
a male witch |
/wɔ:*lɒk/ |
|
| witch |
a woman believed to have evil magical powers |
/wɪtʃ/ |
|
| pumpkin |
an orange vegetable which is often carved and hollowed out to make Halloween lanterns |
/pʌmkɪn/ |
|
| wand |
a stick used for casting magic spells |
/wɒnd/ |
|
| trick or treat |
What children say when they come to your door asking for sweets/candies |
/trɪk ə tri:t/ |
Children dress up in costumes and visit people's houses in search of sweets (British English) or candies (American English). They knock on the door and say "trick or treat", and they are given sweets. The idea is that if you don't TREAT them, they will TRICK you instead (to trick: to do something bad to you).
|
| frightening |
scary |
/fraɪtnɪŋ/ |
|
| spirits |
the ghosts of dead people |
/spɪrɪts/ |
|
| cauldron |
a cooking pot used by witches to brew spells |
/kɔ:ldrən/ |
|
| web |
spiders spin these to catch flies |
/web/ |
|
| graveyard |
a place where dead people are buried |
/greɪv jɑ:*d/ |
Also called CEMETERY
|
| grisly |
horrid, gruesome, bloody |
/grɪzlɪ/ |
|
| bones |
hard pieces of a person's or animal's skeleton |
/bəʊnz/ |
|
| Grim Reaper |
the name traditionally used to symbolise Death |
/grɪm ri:pə*/ |
In European folklore, Death is usually depicted as a skeleton in a long black cloak, carrying a scythe.
|
| witchcraft |
magic practised by witches |
/wɪtʃkrɑ:ft/ |
|
| bloodcurdling |
a chilling, scary sound often used to describe screems. Terrifying. |
/blʌd kɜ:*dlɪŋ/ |
|
| black |
the darkest colour and the colour of the night. |
/blæk/ |
|
| tombstone |
a large, upright stone placed at the head of a grave |
/tu:mstəʊn/ |
They often have information about the person who is buried in the grave carved into them, such as their date of birth, when they died or another information about their life.
|
| All Hallows Eve |
Another name for Halloween |
/ɔ:l hæləʊz i:v/ |
|
| ghostly |
having an appearance or nature similar to a ghost |
/gəʊstlɪ/ |
|
