Halloween Words That Start With U
seven Halloween words start with the letter U: Undead, Under the Bed, Uneasy, Umbrella, Ugly, Upstairs and Unicorn. 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 a free printable word list.
All seven Halloween words that start with U
Spooky U words
- Undead
- Under the Bed
- Uneasy
Other U words you will hear at Halloween
These are not spooky words, but a child hears every one of them on Halloween night.
- Umbrella
- Ugly
- Upstairs
- Unicorn
| Word | What it means | Syllables | Say it like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Undead | A creature in stories that has died but still moves. | 2 | un-DED |
| Under the Bed | The space beneath a bed, where children imagine things hide. | 4 | UN-der thuh bed |
| Uneasy | Not quite comfortable, with a worried feeling. | 3 | un-EE-zee |
| Umbrella | Something you hold over you to keep off rain. | 3 | um-BREL-uh |
| Ugly | Not nice to look at. | 2 | UG-lee |
| Upstairs | On a higher floor of a building. | 2 | up-STAIRZ |
| Unicorn | A make-believe horse with one horn. | 3 | YOO-nuh-korn |
What each word means
Undead
The word that covers zombies, vampires and mummies all at once, so it is worth having. In a sentence: “Zombies and vampires are both undead.”
Under the Bed
Look together with a flashlight. Checking is far more convincing to a child than being told. In a sentence: “We looked under the bed and found only socks.”
Uneasy
Milder than afraid, and useful for a child who is not frightened but is not happy either. In a sentence: “The quiet street made me uneasy.”
Umbrella
The thing that saves Halloween when it rains, and a black one adds to most costumes. In a sentence: “We took an umbrella just in case.”
Ugly
What most Halloween masks are trying to be, and saying so out loud takes some of the sting out. In a sentence: “He picked the ugliest mask in the shop.”
Upstairs
Where the noise always comes from in a spooky story, and where the attic is. In a sentence: “Something creaked upstairs.”
Unicorn
One of the most popular costumes for children who want magic without anything frightening. In a sentence: “She wore a unicorn costume with a rainbow tail.”
Which U words are hardest for a preschooler to say?
Undead, Under the Bed, Uneasy, Ugly and Upstairs each start with a single /u/ sound, so a three year old can usually copy them straight back. If your child is at the copying-back stage, start with Undead.
Umbrella and Unicorn are hard for a different reason. There is no blend to trip over: at three syllables they are simply a mouthful, and most children shorten them long before they say them in full.
How to use these U words with preschoolers
Say it, then find it
Say the word out loud and stretch the first sound: undead. 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.
Draw it, then name it
Ask your child to draw one of the words and then tell you which one it is. Saying the word while looking at their own picture of it is what fixes the meaning.
Free printable: the Halloween U word list
One page, A4, free to print with no sign-up. All seven words in large type with a tick box beside each one, so a child can mark off the words they can read.
Word list
More on the letter U
This page is one letter of Halloween words A to Z. For letter formation and tracing practice, see letter U activities for preschoolers. For animal names beginning with the same letter, see animals that start with U, and for the winter equivalent see Christmas words that start with U.
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 T | Halloween words that start with V →
Frequently asked questions
What Halloween words start with U?
Undead, Under the Bed, Uneasy, Umbrella, Ugly, Upstairs and Unicorn. All seven are listed above with a short meaning for each.
Which Halloween U word is easiest for a preschooler?
Undead. 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 U words?
They run from one to four. 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.
