Halloween started in Ireland as the Celtic festival of Samhain, so there is no better place to learn the language of the season than the country that invented it. With Oíche Shamhna less than two weeks away, here are 30 suitably creepy words in Irish, from ghosts and banshees to werewolves and graveyards, each with a pronunciation guide so you can say them out loud on the night.
With great help from those at Irish Culture and Customs, we put together a list of 30 Halloween words in Irish, along with their pronunciations.
So now you can finally call your friend a Hobgoblin in Irish, you can tell your Irish gran to watch out for that ghostly, sinister, supernatural werewolf, or teach your trick-or-treaters the Gaelic spin on their favorite door-to-door greeting.
Trick or Treat: Cleas nó cóir (class noh koh-ir)
Witch/Witch's Broomstick: Cailleach/scuab chaillí (kyle-yeukh/scoob khyle-ee)
Bat: Ialtóg (ee-al-toe-g)
Sinister: Drochthuarach (druk-who-er-ukh)
Scared: Scanraithe (skahn-rah-heh)
Ghost: Púca or taibhse (pookah or tie-v-sheh)
Moon: Gealach (gi-ahl-ukh)
Hobgoblin: Bobodha (bub-owe-gah)
Turnip: Tornapa (tur-nah-pah)
Pumpkin: Puimcín (pim-keen)
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Pumpkin: Puimcín (pim-keen)
Ghostly/spooky: Taibhsiúil (tyev-shool)
Banshee: Bean Sí (ban-shee)
Scream/shriek: scréach (shkraykh)
Shadow: scáth or scáil (skawh or skaw-il)
Tomb: Tuama (to-a-mah)
Graveyard: Reilg (rell-ig)
Coffin: Cónra (cohn-rah)
Skeleton: Creatlach (krat-lukh)
Ghost story: Scéal taibhsí (sshkale tie-v-she)
Halloween: Oíche Shamhna (ee-ha how-na)
Costume: Culaith (cull-ah)
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Costume: Culaith (cull-ah)
Nightmare: Tromluí (trum-lee)
Vampire: Vaimpír (vam-peer)
Blood: Fuil (fwill)
Werewolf: Coinriocht (kon-ree-ukt)
Devil/Demon: Diabhal (jowl)
Death: Bás (baws)
Terror/Terrifying: Uafás/uafásach (oo-faws/oo-faws-ukh)
Spider/spiderweb: Damhán/damhán alla (dow-awn/dow-awn ah-lah)
Supernatural: Osnádúrtha (uss-naw-duur-hah)
What is your favorite Irish Halloween word? Let us know in the comments!
* Originally published in 2014, updated in 2026.