ESL Halloween Vocabulary

The ESL Halloween vocabulary on this page will teach you all the words you need to know to talk about the Halloween holiday. Halloween is an American tradition that has started to spread around the world. Therefore, wherever you might go you could need to use Halloween vocabulary.

The following section of this page has the ESL Halloween vocabulary list where vocabulary words and their definitions are given. This is also in the form of flashcards for you to download. There is then a recording of the vocabulary list spoken by a native English speaker so you can hear the correct pronunciation.

After that there are three exercises for you to try:

• Identifying the correct definition of a given word.
• Identifying the correct meaning of a given definition.
• Identifying what a given picture shows.

ESL Halloween Vocabulary List with Definitions

The following list has the ESL Halloween vocabulary for you to try to learn. This is followed by the vocabulary as flashcards for you to download and then the vocabulary being spoken by a native speaker.

Afraid: To feel fear in a situation. (adjective)
American: Something to do with the USA or the people who live there. (adjective)
Bad: The opposite of good, not a good thing. (adjective)
Bat: A flying animal that comes out at nighttime. (noun)
Black cat: A cat that has black fur. Considered to be unlucky in Western culture. (noun)
Blood: The red liquid found in a body. (noun)
Broomstick: What a witch would ride to be able to fly. (noun)
Bury: To place something in a hole in the ground and cover it with soil. (verb)
Candy: Something to eat made from sugar. American English, similar to sweets. (noun)
Carve: To cut parts of something away to make a pattern. (verb)
Casket: Another name for a coffin. The box in which a dead body is kept. (noun)
Cast: To use magic, to cast a spell. (verb)
Cauldron: The big pot a witch would use for making spells. (noun)
Cemetery: The place where dead bodies are buried. (noun)
Children: People who are aged 0-18 years old. (noun)
Cobweb: The material spiders make to catch flies. Same as a spider web. (noun)
Coffin: Another name for a casket. The box in which a dead body is kept. (noun)
Costume: Clothes to make you look like something else. (noun)
Creature: Another name for a monster. (noun)
Creepy: To be scary and make you feel afraid. (adjective)
Crypt: A room underneath a church in which bodies are buried. (noun)
Death: When someone stops living. (noun)
Decorate: To make a place look nice by adding pretty items. (verb)
Decorations: The items that are used to decorate something. (noun)
Demon: An evil supernatural monster. (noun)
Devil: An evil supernatural monster. Also the leader of all the demons. (noun)
Disguise: To wear clothes so you look different. (noun)
Dress-up: To wear clothes that are different form normal. (verb)
Evil: To be very bad and enjoy doing nasty things. (adjective)
Face paint: Special make up to be used on the face. (noun)
Fangs: Big long teeth. Vampires often have them. (noun)
Fear: To be scared or worried about something. Expecting something bad to happen. (verb)
Frighten: To cause someone to experience fear. (verb)
Front door: The main door in a house that is used most often, usually next to the road. (noun)
Full-moon: When the moon is a complete circle in the sky. (noun)
Ghost: The remains of a dead person, not solid can pass through walls. (noun)
Grave: The hole in the ground in which a person is buried. Similar to a tomb. (noun)
Gravestone: The carved stone that marks the position of a grave. Similar to a tombstone. (noun)
Halloween: A celebration of monsters and being scared on 31st October. (noun)
Haunted house: A house that has a ghost present.  (noun)
Horrible: Something that is very bad, looks very bad. (adjective)
Howl: The long loud noise that a wolf makes. (noun)
Jack-o-lantern: A carved pumpkin in the shape of a face. (noun)
Knock: To hit something to show your presence, knock on the front door. (verb)
Lantern: An old fashioned device for giving light by burning oil. (noun)
Magic: The use of supernatural powers, when a witch casts a spell. (noun)
Mist: A type of weather in which clouds are near the ground and stops people from seeing very far. (noun)
Monster: A creature that is not real, it is often frightening. (noun)
Moon: The Earth’s satellite that can be seen in the sky. (noun)
Mummy: A monster where a dead person has been wrapped in bandages, buried and they have come back to life. (noun)
Nasty: Something that is bad or not nice. (adjective)
Nightmare: A dream that is frightening. (noun)
Party: A gathering of people to have fun together. (noun)
Phantom: A type of ghost. (noun)
Pitchfork: A farm tool that people use when chasing monsters. (noun)
Poltergeist: A type of ghost that moves things in a house. (noun)
Potion: A liquid made of various other liquids. (noun)
Prank: A joke that involves physical props. (noun)
Pretend: To imagine that something is real. (verb)
Pumpkin: A type of vegetable that is eaten at Halloween and used to make decorations. (noun)
Repulsive: Something that is very nasty and frightening. (adjective)
Scare: To frighten someone. (verb)
Scarecrow: A large doll that is made to scare birds away from a farmer’s field. It is believed to come alive and be a monster. (noun)
Scream: To shout loudly in fear. (verb)
Shadow: A dark place in which monsters might live. The shape made when something blocks light. (noun)
Skeleton: The bones of a body without any flesh on them. (noun)
Skull: The bones that make up the head. (noun)
Specter: A type of ghost. (noun)
Spell: A magical process to make something happen. (noun)
Spider web: The material a spider makes to catch flies. Same as cob web. (noun)
Spider: An animal with eight legs that is scary. (noun)
Spirit: The life within a body, may become a ghost when the body dies. (noun)
Spooky: Something that is frightening and scary. (adjective)
Strange: Something that is not normal, something that is odd. (adjective)
Supernatural: To do with monsters and magic. Something that is not normal. (adjective)
Superstitious: To believe in monsters and magic as if it was real. (adjective)
Sweets: A type of food that is made from sugar. British English, similar to candy. (noun)
Terrible: Something that is very bad, the worst thing that could happen. (adjective)
Terrify: To make someone very very frightened. (verb)
Tomb: A hole to bury a dead body (same as a grave) or a building to hold a dead body. (noun)
Tombstone: A carved stone to mark the position of the tomb. Similar to a gravestone. (noun)
Treat: Something nice, often candy to eat. (noun)
Trick or treat: To go to a house and to ask for candy. If no candy is given than a trick will be played on the house. (noun)
Trick: To play a nasty joke on someone. (noun)
Vampire: A monster that drinks the blood of people and can only come out at nighttime. (noun)
Wand: A witch’s or wizard’s special stick to help them cast spells. (noun)
Weird: Something that is strange. (adjective)
Werewolf: A person that turns into a wolf like monster when there is a full moon. (noun)
Wicked: A very bad person. (adjective)
Witch: A person (often female) that uses magic and is evil. (noun)
Witchcraft: The use of magic to get what you want. (noun)
Wizard: A person (often male) that uses magic, may sometimes be evil. (noun)
Wolf: A wild animal that is associated with frightening things. (noun)
Zombie: A type of monster, a dead body that has come back to life and wants to eat people. (noun)

Vocabulary Flashcards for Halloween

You can download the following flashcards and use them to learn the Halloween vocabulary. Just click the following link to download them.

ESL Halloween vocabulary flashcards

Spoken ESL Halloween Vocabulary

The following is a recording of the ESL Halloween vocabulary by a native English speaker so you can listen to the correct pronunciation. In the video that follows you can listen to the vocabulary while also seeing the flashcards.

ESL Halloween Vocabulary Exercises

Once you have learnt all the Halloween vocabulary you can try the following exercises to see how much you remember. I would recommend making sure you know the vocabulary well before trying the following exercises. When you have finished the tests remember to post your scores to Facebook so your friends can see how well you did.

Exercise 1 – Correct Definition

In this ESL Halloween vocabulary exercise you need to decide which of the four definitions (A-D) given in each question matches the word in that question.

ESL Halloween Vocabulary Definitions

Choose the correct definition for the Halloween vocabulary in this quiz.

1) What is the definition of coffin?

    A) When the moon is a complete circle in the sky.
    B) Another name for a casket. The box in which a dead body is kept.
    C) A dream that is frightening.
    D) An old fashioned device for giving light by burning oil.

2) What is the definition of pumpkin?

    A) Something that is not normal, something that is odd.
    B) A very bad person.
    C) The place where dead bodies are buried.
    D) A type of vegetable that is eaten at Halloween and used to make decorations.

3) What is the definition of wand?

    A) A witch’s or wizard’s special stick to help them cast spells.
    B) A type of monster, a dead body that has come back to life and wants to eat people.
    C) To do with monsters and magic. Something that is not normal.
    D) What a witch would ride to be able to fly.

4) What is the definition of gravestone?

    A) Big long teeth. Vampires often have them.
    B) Something that is bad or not nice.
    C) The carved stone that marks the position of a grave. Similar to a tombstone.
    D) A type of ghost.

5) What is the definition of pitchfork?

    A) A monster where a dead person has been wrapped in bandages, buried and they have come back to life.
    B) To cause someone to experience fear.
    C) The place where dead bodies are buried.
    D) A farm tool that people use when chasing monsters.

Score =

Correct answers:

Exercise 2 – Correct Meaning

In this exercise you have five questions and in each you are given the definition of a word. You need to identify the correct word (options A-D) that means the same as the given definition.

ESL Halloween Vocabulary Identification of Meaning

Choose the word that matches the definition given in each of the five questions in this quiz.

1) What is the meaning of the following definition: An evil supernatural monster. Also the leader of all the demons?

    A) Devil
    B) Horrible
    C) Scare
    D) Superstitious

2) What is the meaning of the following definition: The bones that make up the head?

    A) Witch
    B) Lantern
    C) Skull
    D) Scarecrow

3) What is the meaning of the following definition: Clothes to make you look like something else?

    A) Cemetery
    B) Costume
    C) Magic
    D) Pretend

4) What is the meaning of the following definition: A type of food that is made from sugar. British English, similar to candy?

    A) Spell
    B) Vampire
    C) Sweets
    D) Treat

5) What is the meaning of the following definition: To be scared or worried about something. Expecting something bad to happen?

    A) Death
    B) Fear
    C) Creature
    D) Dress-up

Score =

Correct answers:

Exercise 3 – Identify Picture

Below are five pictures (1-5) and in each question you need to identify the correct ESL Halloween vocabulary word that matches each picture.

ESL Halloween Vocabulary Picture Descriptions

Identify the best description for each of the images (A-E) given above that correspond to the five questions in this quiz.

1) Which description best describes picture 1 given above?

    A) Fangs
    B) Devil
    C) Ghost
    D) Bat

2) Which description best describes picture 2 given above?

    A) Gravestone
    B) Mummy
    C) Prank
    D) Scream

3) Which description best describes picture 3 given above?

    A) Spooky
    B) Potion
    C) Wicked
    D) Sweets

4) Which description best describes picture 4 given above?

    A) Burry
    B) Carve
    C) Jack-o-lantern
    D) Creature

5) Which description best describes picture 5 given above?

    A) Afraid
    B) Cauldron
    C) Witch
    D) Zombie

Score =

Correct answers:

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