Halloween Words That Start With I
six Halloween words start with the letter I: Invisible, Icky, Inky, Insect, Ice and Icing. Halloween falls on October 31, and these are the words a preschooler actually meets on the night. Each one below has a short meaning, how many syllables it has, how to say it and a sentence to use it in, plus two free printables.
All six Halloween words that start with I
Spooky I words
- Invisible
- Icky
- Inky
Other I words you will hear at Halloween
These are not spooky words, but a child hears every one of them on Halloween night.
- Insect
- Ice
- Icing
| Word | What it means | Syllables | Say it like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invisible | Something you cannot see. | 4 | in-VIZ-uh-bul |
| Icky | Unpleasant to touch or look at. | 2 | IK-ee |
| Inky | Very dark, like black ink. | 2 | INK-ee |
| Insect | A small animal with six legs. | 2 | IN-sekt |
| Ice | Water that has frozen hard. | 1 | eyess |
| Icing | The sweet covering on top of a cake. | 2 | EYE-sing |
What each word means
Invisible
The longest word on this page and the one children most want to be, usually right after they learn it. In a sentence: “He pretended to be invisible under the sheet.”
Icky
A child's word rather than a grown-up one, which is exactly why it belongs on this page. In a sentence: “The slime felt icky on my fingers.”
Inky
A way of describing dark that a child can picture, because they have seen ink spill. In a sentence: “The sky was inky black by six o'clock.”
Insect
Worth knowing that a spider is not one, because it has eight legs rather than six. In a sentence: “Plastic insects were scattered on the table.”
Ice
Dropped into punch it makes fog, which is the simplest spooky effect there is. In a sentence: “Ice floated in the green punch.”
Icing
Orange and black icing turns any plain cupcake into a Halloween one. In a sentence: “The cupcakes had orange icing and a candy spider.”
Which I words are hardest for a preschooler to say?
Icky, Inky, Insect, Ice and Icing each start with a single /i/ sound, so a three year old can usually copy them straight back. If your child is at the copying-back stage, start with Icky.
Invisible is hard for a different reason. There is no blend to trip over: at four syllables it is simply a mouthful, and most children shorten it long before they say it in full.
How to use these I words with preschoolers
Say it, then find it
Say the word out loud and stretch the first sound: icky. Then ask your child to find something in the room that starts the same way. Hearing the sound and then finding it on something real ties the letter to something your child can already picture.
Sort the scary from the silly
Read the list together and let your child put each word in one of two piles: silly or spooky. There is no right answer, and the sorting is what makes them think about what the word actually means. It also gives you a gentle way to talk about being a little bit scared on purpose.
Trace it, then draw it
Use the tracing sheet below to write the three spooky words, then ask your child to draw one of them on the back. Writing the word and picturing it at the same time is what makes it stick.
Free printables: the Halloween I word list and tracing sheet
Two pages, A4, free to print with no sign-up. The word list has all six words in large type with a tick box beside each one, so a child can mark off the words they can read. The tracing sheet has the three spooky words, Invisible, Icky and Inky, on handwriting rules to write over.
Word list
Tracing sheet
More on the letter I
This page is one letter of Halloween words A to Z. For letter formation and tracing practice, see letter I activities for preschoolers. For animal names beginning with the same letter, see animals that start with I, and for the winter equivalent see Christmas words that start with I.
Halloween words A to Z: A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · J · K · L · M · N · O · P · Q · R · S · T · U · V · W · X · Y · Z
← Halloween words that start with H | Halloween words that start with J →
Frequently asked questions
What Halloween words start with I?
Invisible, Icky, Inky, Insect, Ice and Icing. All six are listed above with a short meaning for each.
Which Halloween I word is easiest for a preschooler?
Icky. It is one syllable, the first sound is easy to stretch out, and most children have already seen one, which fixes the word far faster than a definition does.
How many syllables are in these I words?
They run from one to four. Ice are single syllables, which is where to start.
How do I teach Halloween words without frightening my child?
Start with the silly ones and leave the spooky ones until they ask. A costume, a pumpkin and a bucket of candy are Halloween to a four year old. If a word does worry them, let them draw it and give it a friendly face, which takes the fear out of it faster than telling them not to worry.
What age are these words for?
Three to six. Younger children will recognize the words when you say them long before they can read them, which is the point of tracing rather than copying.
