| 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.
|
| cauldron |
a cooking pot used by witches to brew spells |
/kɔ:ldrən/ |
|
| 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.
|
| horror |
shock or fright |
/hɒrə*/ |
Horror films are very popular and are often shown on television at Halloween
|
| ghostly |
having an appearance or nature similar to a ghost |
/gəʊstlɪ/ |
|
| grave |
a burial space for a coffin in a cemetery |
/greɪv/ |
Also: TOMB
|
| broom |
a type of brush with a long wooden handle used by witches to fly, according to legend |
/brʊm/ |
Also broomstick
|
| apparition |
A transparent, ghostly figure |
/æpərɪʃən/ |
|
| monster |
a fearful, horrid imaginary creature |
/mɒnstə*/ |
|
| web |
spiders spin these to catch flies |
/web/ |
|
| nightmare |
a scary bad dream |
/naɪtmeə*/ |
|
| sweets |
sugary treats given to children at Halloween |
/swi:ts/ |
in American English the word used is CANDIES
|
| graveyard |
a place where dead people are buried |
/greɪv jɑ:*d/ |
Also called CEMETERY
|
| evil |
malicious, bad, ill intentioned |
/i:vəl/ |
|
| cemetery |
a place where dead people are buried |
/semətrɪ/ |
also: GRAVEYARD
|
| bat |
a small flying mammal, with leathery wings |
/bæt/ |
According to legend, vampires are said to be able to turn into bats.
|
| 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.
|
| witchcraft |
magic practised by witches |
/wɪtʃkrɑ:ft/ |
|
| trick |
a practical joke |
/trɪk/ |
|
| candy |
sweet treats given to children at Halloween |
/kændɪ/ |
used in American English. In British English the word is SWEET
|
| scary |
something which is frightening |
/skeərɪ/ |
|
| festival |
a celebration or special event |
/festɪvəl/ |
|
| ghoul |
a fictional flesh eating monster that is said to rob graves, according to folklore |
/gu:l/ |
|
| coffin |
a container for a dead body; generally made of wood and lined with silk with a hinged lid |
/kɒfɪn/ |
|
| spirits |
the ghosts of dead people |
/spɪrɪts/ |
|
| magic |
the ability or power to make things happen by casting spells; performing tricks |
/mædʒɪk/ |
|
| gruesome |
repellent, horrible, bloody, macabre |
/gru:səm/ |
|
| All Hallows Eve |
Another name for Halloween |
/ɔ:l hæləʊz i:v/ |
|
| tomb |
a place where a dead person has been buried |
/tu:m/ |
|
| disguise |
a costume, often worn for fun at Halloween parties by adults and children alike |
/dɪsgaɪs/ |
also: FANCY DRESS
|
| creepy |
unsettling or scary |
/kri:pɪ/ |
|
| phantom |
a ghostly apparition |
/fæntəm/ |
|
| 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.
|
| ghost |
undead spirit that haunts houses |
/gəʊst/ |
|
| mummy |
a dead person who was buried wrapped in bandages |
/mʌmɪ/ |
based on the Egyptian mummies wrapped in bandages inside a sarcophagus.
|
| prank |
a trick or practical joke |
/præŋk/ |
|
| to scare |
to frighten a person or animal |
/tə skeə*/ |
|
| witch |
a woman believed to have evil magical powers |
/wɪtʃ/ |
|
| casket |
coffin |
/kɑ:skɪt/ |
|
| grisly |
horrid, gruesome, bloody |
/grɪzlɪ/ |
|
| candle |
a wax cylinder with a wick in the middle that can be lit with a match to provide light |
/kændəl/ |
|
| cloak |
an outer garment or cape |
/kləʊk/ |
vampires wear a long black clock on their backs, often with a red lining
|
| corpse |
a dead body |
/kɔ:ps/ |
|
| demon |
a devil |
/di:mən/ |
|
| Jack O'Lantern |
a lantern carved from a pumpkin with a candle inside |
/dʒæk əlæntə*n/ |
|
| zombie |
a living dead (and a man-eating creature) |
/zɒmbɪ/ |
|
| frightening |
scary |
/fraɪtnɪŋ/ |
|
| bloodcurdling |
a chilling, scary sound often used to describe screems. Terrifying. |
/blʌd kɜ:*dlɪŋ/ |
|
| wraith |
a Scottish word that means ghost |
/reɪθ/ |
|
| 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.
|
| boo! |
a word which is sometimes used to frighten people when playing tricks |
/bu:/ |
|
| black |
the darkest colour and the colour of the night. |
/blæk/ |
|
| bag |
a container for candy/sweets used by kids who dress up in customes to carry the sweets they collect |
/bæg/ |
|
| 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).
|
| scythe |
a long, sharp and curved blade |
/saɪð/ |
|
| cape |
a long and voluminous outer garment, or cloak. Often worn by vampires. |
/keɪp/ |
|
| 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
|
| gory |
bloody, macabre |
/gɔ:rɪ/ |
|
| haunted |
a place frequented by ghosts or other spirits of the death |
/hɔ:ntɪd/ |
|
| spooky |
midly scary though often in a fun way |
/spu:kɪ/ |
|
| 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.
|
| vampire |
an undead creature who sleeps in a coffin by day and ventures out at night to drink people's blood |
/væmpaɪə*/ |
|
| shadow |
a dark shape cast by an object positioned between a surface and a source of light |
/ʃædəʊ/ |
|
| warlock |
a male witch |
/wɔ:*lɒk/ |
|
| spider |
an insect with eight legs that spins webs |
/spaɪdə*/ |
|
| devil |
an evil spirit |
/devɪl/ |
|
| 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)
|
| treat |
a fun and unexpected surprise designed to please someone |
/tri:t/ |
|
| skeleton |
the hard inner frame of a person's or an animal's body, formed from bones that join together |
/skelətən/ |
|
| skull |
the bony part of the head, attached to a person's skeleton |
/skʌl/ |
|
| to frighten |
to scare |
/tə fraɪtən/ |
|
| wand |
a stick used for casting magic spells |
/wɒnd/ |
|
| goblin |
a small, ugly, mischevious creature with a reputation for causing trouble |
/gɒblɪn/ |
|
| shock |
fright |
/fraɪt/ |
|
| spell |
a magic rite cast by witches |
/spel/ |
|
| fiend |
a monster or demon |
/fi:nd/ |
also an old word for ENEMY
|
| pumpkin |
an orange vegetable which is often carved and hollowed out to make Halloween lanterns |
/pʌmkɪn/ |
|
| moon |
large, round satellite that revolves around The Earth which can be seen in the sky at night |
/mu:n/ |
|
| howl |
a high pitched noise made by wolves and dogs |
/haʊl/ |
|
| wicked |
bad or evil |
/wɪkɪd/ |
|
| costume |
a make-believe outfit worn for fun at Halloween |
/kɒstju:m/ |
also DISGUISE or FANCY DRESS
|
| lantern |
a type of lamp |
/læntə*n/ |
|
| 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.
|
| blood |
red liquid running through veins of people and warm blooded creatures |
/blʌd/ |
|
