Halloween Words in Spanish — Creatures, Costumes and Spooky Vocabulary

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Key takeaways

"Halloween" in Spanish is el Halloween or el Día de Brujas (Day of Witches).

"Trick or treat" in Spanish is ¡Truco o trato!

Core Halloween creatures: el fantasma (ghost), la bruja (witch), el vampiro (vampire), el monstruo (monster).

Halloween is culturally linked to el Día de los Muertos in Mexico (Nov 1–2) — related but very different celebrations.

Key scary adjectives: aterrador (terrifying), espeluznante (spine-chilling), escalofriante (spine-tingling).

It's late October and you're with Spanish-speaking friends planning a Halloween party. You want to talk about costumes, decorations, and spooky plans — but you realize you only know fantasma and bruja.

Halloween vocabulary in Spanish is surprisingly fun to learn — it's vivid, expressive, and genuinely useful for cultural conversations. Understanding Halloween words also connects to deeper knowledge about el Día de los Muertos and how different Spanish-speaking cultures approach death, the supernatural, and seasonal celebration.

This guide covers Halloween creature vocabulary, costumes and decorations, spooky adjectives, cultural context around Día de los Muertos, and phrases for talking about Halloween in Spanish.

Halloween basics in Spanish

Spanish	English	Example
el Halloween / el Día de Brujas	Halloween / Day of Witches	¿Cómo celebras el Halloween? — How do you celebrate Halloween?
¡Truco o trato!	Trick or treat!	Los niños gritan ¡Truco o trato! en cada puerta. — The children shout trick or treat at every door.
el disfraz	costume	¿De qué te vas a disfrazar? — What are you going to dress up as?
disfrazarse de	to dress up as	Me voy a disfrazar de vampiro. — I'm going to dress up as a vampire.
los dulces / los caramelos	candy / sweets	Los niños recogen dulces por todo el barrio. — The children collect candy throughout the neighborhood.
la máscara	mask	Mi máscara de zombie está genial. — My zombie mask looks great.
la fiesta de Halloween	Halloween party	¿Vas a la fiesta de Halloween esta noche? — Are you going to the Halloween party tonight?

Halloween creatures and monsters

Spanish	English	Example
el fantasma	ghost	Los niños creen que hay fantasmas en esta casa. — The children believe there are ghosts in this house.
la bruja	witch	La bruja vuela en su escoba por la noche. — The witch flies on her broomstick at night.
el vampiro	vampire	El vampiro solo sale de noche. — The vampire only comes out at night.
el zombi / el zombie	zombie	Mi disfraz de zombi quedó muy realista. — My zombie costume turned out very realistic.
el monstruo	monster	Los monstruos solo existen en las películas. — Monsters only exist in movies.
el esqueleto	skeleton	Pusimos un esqueleto en la puerta como decoración. — We put a skeleton at the door as decoration.
el hombre lobo	werewolf	El hombre lobo aúlla cuando hay luna llena. — The werewolf howls when there's a full moon.
la momia	mummy	Las momias del Antiguo Egipto inspiran terror. — Ancient Egyptian mummies inspire terror.
el duende	goblin / elf	Los duendes son personajes de las leyendas. — Goblins are characters from legends.
el diablo / el demonio	devil / demon	Se disfrazó de diablo con cuernos rojos. — He dressed up as a devil with red horns.
el murciélago	bat	Los murciélagos vuelan de noche y comen insectos. — Bats fly at night and eat insects.
la araña	spider	Decoramos la casa con arañas de plástico. — We decorated the house with plastic spiders.

Halloween decorations vocabulary

Spanish	English	Example
la calabaza	pumpkin	Tallamos una calabaza con una cara de miedo. — We carved a pumpkin with a scary face.
la jack-o'-lantern / la calabaza tallada	jack-o'-lantern	Las calabazas talladas iluminan la entrada. — The jack-o'-lanterns light up the entrance.
la telaraña	spiderweb / cobweb	Pusimos telarañas de plástico por toda la casa. — We put plastic spiderweb throughout the house.
la escoba	broomstick	La escoba de la bruja está en la puerta. — The witch's broomstick is at the door.
el caldero	cauldron	La bruja mezcla su poción en el caldero. — The witch mixes her potion in the cauldron.
la poción	potion	Preparamos una poción verde para la fiesta. — We prepared a green potion for the party.
el ataúd	coffin	Colocamos un ataúd de decoración en el jardín. — We placed a decorative coffin in the garden.
el cementerio	cemetery / graveyard	Pasamos por el cementerio de noche, ¡qué miedo! — We walked past the cemetery at night, so scary!
la lápida	gravestone / tombstone	Las lápidas del cementerio son muy antiguas. — The gravestones in the cemetery are very old.

Scary and spooky adjectives

These adjectives help you describe Halloween experiences, movies, costumes, and decorations with authentically Spanish expression.

Spanish	English	Example
aterrador / aterradora	terrifying	Esa película de terror es aterradora. — That horror movie is terrifying.
espeluznante	spine-chilling / creepy	El sonido de los murciélagos es espeluznante. — The sound of the bats is spine-chilling.
escalofriante	spine-tingling / chilling	La historia del fantasma fue escalofriante. — The ghost story was spine-tingling.
terrorífico / terrorífica	horrifying / terrifying	El monstruo tenía una cara terrorífica. — The monster had a horrifying face.
tenebroso / tenebrosa	dark and gloomy / sinister	El bosque de noche es muy tenebroso. — The forest at night is very gloomy.
siniestro / siniestra	sinister / ominous	La casa abandonada tiene algo siniestro. — The abandoned house has something sinister about it.
misterioso / misteriosa	mysterious	La niebla hace todo más misterioso. — The fog makes everything more mysterious.
fantasmagórico / fantasmagórica	ghostly / phantasmagoric	Las luces del cementerio son fantasmagóricas. — The cemetery lights are ghostly.

Halloween exclamations:

¡Qué miedo! — How scary! / What a fright!
¡Me asusté! — You scared me! / I got scared!
¡Estoy muerto de miedo! — I'm scared to death!
¡Qué susto! — What a fright!

Día de los Muertos — cultural context

Halloween and el Día de los Muertos are often confused, especially internationally, but they have very different origins and meanings.

Spanish	English
el Día de los Muertos	Day of the Dead
el altar / la ofrenda	altar / offering
el cempasúchil	marigold (the Day of the Dead flower)
la calavera	skull (decorative/symbolic)
la catrina	La Catrina (iconic Day of the Dead figure)
el pan de muerto	bread of the dead (traditional sweet bread)
honrar a los difuntos	to honor the deceased
los difuntos / los fallecidos	the deceased

Cultural note: El Día de los Muertos (November 1–2) is not a "Mexican Halloween" — it's a deeply spiritual celebration rooted in indigenous Mexican traditions, blended with Catholic All Saints' Day. Families build ofrendas (altars) with photos, food, and marigolds to welcome the spirits of deceased loved ones. It celebrates life and remembrance, not fear. Using Halloween decorations for Día de los Muertos would be culturally inappropriate.

Halloween conversation phrases

Talking about costumes:

¿De qué te vas a disfrazar este Halloween? — What are you going to dress up as this Halloween?
Me voy a disfrazar de bruja / vampiro / zombi. — I'm going to dress up as a witch / vampire / zombie.
¡Tu disfraz está genial! — Your costume is great!
¿Dónde compraste el disfraz? — Where did you buy the costume?

Talking about Halloween plans:

¿Qué haces el Día de Brujas? — What are you doing on Halloween?
Vamos a una fiesta de disfraces. — We're going to a costume party.
Los niños van a pedir dulces en el barrio. — The children are going trick-or-treating in the neighborhood.
¿Ves películas de terror en Halloween? — Do you watch horror movies on Halloween?

Describing Halloween experiences:

El año pasado fui a una casa encantada. — Last year I went to a haunted house.
¡Me asustaron tanto que salí corriendo! — They scared me so much I ran out!
La decoración del vecino es aterradora. — The neighbor's decoration is terrifying.

How to practice Halloween vocabulary in Spanish

Watch Spanish-language horror films: Spanish cinema has excellent horror — El espinazo del diablo, El orfanato — and the vocabulary is authentic and vivid.
Read Spanish ghost stories: Traditional folk tales and legends (leyendas) from Latin America are excellent for learning supernatural vocabulary in cultural context.
Follow Spanish Halloween content: Spanish-language social media is full of Halloween vocabulary in October — great natural exposure.
Learn Día de los Muertos vocabulary separately: Understanding the difference between Halloween and Día de los Muertos vocabulary shows genuine cultural knowledge and respect.
Use AI conversation practice: Apps like Promova offer conversation practice for cultural topics and seasonal vocabulary, helping you discuss Halloween, horror themes, and Mexican traditions naturally in Spanish.

Summary

Halloween vocabulary in Spanish covers creatures like el fantasma (ghost), la bruja (witch), and el vampiro (vampire), decorations like la calabaza (pumpkin) and la telaraña (spiderweb), and scary adjectives like aterrador (terrifying) and espeluznante (spine-chilling).

"Trick or treat" is ¡Truco o trato! and "What a fright!" is ¡Qué susto! — two phrases that make you immediately understood in any Halloween situation.

Understanding that el Día de los Muertos is a separate, culturally distinct celebration — not a Mexican version of Halloween — shows genuine cultural knowledge. Learning both vocabulary sets opens up richer conversations about how different Spanish-speaking cultures relate to death, remembrance, and the supernatural.

FAQ

How do you say "trick or treat" in Spanish?

"Trick or treat" in Spanish is Truco o trato. It's a direct adaptation — truco means trick and trato means deal or treat. Children use this phrase when going door-to-door in Spanish-speaking countries that celebrate Halloween. You might also hear ¡Dulce o truco! in some regions, particularly in Mexico.

What is Halloween called in Spanish?

Halloween in Spanish is el Halloween or el Día de Brujas (literally "Day of Witches"). The English word "Halloween" is widely used and understood across Spanish-speaking countries, especially among younger generations. The formal Spanish translation Víspera de Todos los Santos (Eve of All Saints) is rarely used in everyday conversation.

How do you say "ghost" and "witch" in Spanish?

"Ghost" in Spanish is el fantasma. "Witch" is la bruja. Other creatures: el vampiro (vampire), el monstruo (monster), el zombi (zombie), el esqueleto (skeleton), and el hombre lobo (werewolf). La bruja is also used colloquially in some Spanish cultures to describe a grumpy or unpleasant person, so context matters.

What is the difference between Halloween and Día de los Muertos?

Halloween and Día de los Muertos are related but distinct holidays. Halloween (October 31st) is primarily a US cultural export, celebrated with costumes, trick-or-treating, and scary themes. Día de los Muertos (November 1-2) is a traditional Mexican and Latin American celebration that honors deceased loved ones with altars, marigolds, and family gatherings — more spiritual than scary. Despite their proximity, they have very different cultural origins and meanings.

How do you say "scary" in Spanish?

The most common words for "scary" in Spanish are: aterrador/a (terrifying), espeluznante (spine-chilling/creepy), espantoso/a (frightening), and terrorífico/a (terrifying). For lighter spookiness: escalofriante (spine-tingling), tenebroso/a (dark and gloomy), and siniestro/a (sinister). The phrase ¡Qué miedo! (How scary!) is the most natural exclamation.

How do Spanish-speaking countries celebrate Halloween?

Halloween celebration in Spanish-speaking countries varies widely. In Mexico and the US Latino community, it coexists with Día de los Muertos traditions. In Spain, Halloween has grown in popularity since the 1990s, with costume parties and trick-or-treating in cities. Many Latin American countries have adopted Halloween through US cultural influence, especially among younger people. However, many communities prefer or continue alongside their own traditional celebrations like Día de los Muertos in Mexico.