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Halloween Vocabulary Words

The spookiest time of year is among us!

Legend says that on October 31st, the barrier between the living and the dead vanishes for the night to let the ghosts and goblins roam freely. While this might frighten some, Halloween is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the country.

To get in the spooky spirit, we figured it would be fitting to give you some fun Halloween vocabulary words, so you are more than prepared for the spookiest day of the year.

• Apparition: Supernatural appearance of a person or thing, especially a ghost; a specter or phantom
• Banshee: A spirit in the form of a wailing woman who appears to or is heard by members of a family as a sign that one of them is about to die (Irish folklore)
• Bloodcurdling: Arousing terror; horrifying
• Brew: To cook liquid, cooked beverage, or dish
• Cauldron: A large kettle or boiling pot used by witches to brew spells
• Corpse: A dead body, usually of a human being
• Fangs: Sharp, pointy upper front teeth designed for piercing flesh
• Fiend: Any evil spirit, monster or demon, a diabolically cruel or wicked person
• Ghoul: An evil demon, originally of Muslim legend, supposed to feed on human beings, and especially to rob graves, prey on corpses, etc. 
• Gory: Covered or stained with gore; bloody
• Grisly: Causing a shudder or feeling of horror; horrible; gruesome, and bloody
• Mausoleum: An ornate stone cemetery built to house the coffins of famous people or members of the same family
• Phantom: An appearance or oullusion without material substance, as a dream image, mirage, or optical illusion 
• Scythe: An agricultural implement consisting of a long, sharp, curved blade
• Warlock: A man who professes or is supposed to practice magic or sorcery; a male witch
• Wicca: A nature-oriented religion having rituals and practices derived from pre-Christian religious beliefs and typically incorporating modern witchcraft of a benevolent kind
• Wraith: Scottish word for a ghost or an apparition of a living person supposed to portend his or her death

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Haunting Halloween Grammar Mistakes

Let's face it; AP Style is spooky any time of year.

However, Halloween grammar has more than one trick up its sleeve. 

Be on the lookout for these common mistakes:

• Trick-or-treating and trick-or-treater require hyphens, while trick or treat does not
• It's Jack-o'-lantern
• Spider web is two separate words.
• The word devil shouldn't be capitalized, but Satan should be.
• Seasons shouldn't be capitalized (Halloween is during the fall.)
• Only brands of candy should be capitalized (M&M's, Reese's peanut butter cups, Life Savers)

Check out this fun Halloween grammar quiz  here to test your spooky grammar knowledge!

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