Spook Your Friends with Halloween Vocabulary

In October, seasons change and the air gets a bit chilly, and you might start seeing pumpkins everywhere. If the fall is your favorite time of year, you might also be anxiously awaiting Halloween. Although not every Spanish-speaking country necessarily celebrates Halloween, or at least not like in the United States, there are important Halloween vocabulary words that can help you talk about this special holiday.

In many parts of the Spanish-speaking world, Día de los muertos, or Day of the Dead, is the most famous holiday of the season, and you might not see too much Halloween-specific events. Fortunately, a lot of these Halloween vocabulary words can be applied to other seasonal holidays and events.

Key Halloween vocabulary words in Spanish

Read moreVideo: Spanish-English false friends

The following words are some of the most common images that come to mind when thinking about Halloween. They’ll be very useful to tell your friends in Spanish about your favorite costumes, events and treats!

Common Halloween vocabulary words:

• La calavera- skull
• La calabaza- pumpkin
• El murciélago- bat (animal)
• La casa embrujada- haunted house
• El cementerio- cemetery
• El disfraz- costume **plural- los disfraces
• El otoño- autumn/fall
• La araña- spider
• La telaraña- spiderweb
• El gato negro- black cat
• La vela- candle
• La luna llena- full moon
• Los dulces- sweets, candy
• Truco o trato- trick or treat **this literally translates to “trick or deal”!

Read moreOnline Activity: Conjugate Spanish Verbs in Present

Although you could dress up as anything for Halloween, here are some common costumes:

• El hombre lobo- werewolf
• El esqueleto- skeleton
• La bruja- witch
• El diablo- devil
• El fantasma- ghost
• La máscara- mask
• La momonia- mummy
• El superhéroe / la superheroína- superhero
• El vampiro / la vampira- vampire

There are plenty of other vocabulary words to learn, but these are some of the basics to get you started. Are there other words you’d like to learn? Let us know in the comments!