Halloween Words That Start With W
14 Halloween words start with the letter W: Witch, Wand, Web, Wolf, Werewolf, Wizard, Wicked, Wail, Whisper, Wart, Wings, Whiskers, Window and Wagon. 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 14 Halloween words that start with W
Spooky W words
- Witch
- Wand
- Web
- Wolf
- Werewolf
- Wizard
- Wicked
- Wail
- Whisper
- Wart
Other W words you will hear at Halloween
These are not spooky words, but a child hears every one of them on Halloween night.
- Wings
- Whiskers
- Window
- Wagon
| Word | What it means | Syllables | Say it like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Witch | A make-believe woman who does magic. | 1 | wich |
| Wand | A thin stick used for magic in stories. | 1 | wond |
| Web | The net a spider spins to catch food. | 1 | web |
| Wolf | A wild animal like a large dog. | 1 | wulf |
| Werewolf | A make-believe person who turns into a wolf. | 2 | WAIR-wulf |
| Wizard | A make-believe man who does magic. | 2 | WIZ-erd |
| Wicked | Very bad, in a story sense. | 2 | WIK-id |
| Wail | A long sad cry. | 1 | wayl |
| Whisper | To speak very quietly. | 2 | WIS-per |
| Wart | A small hard lump on the skin. | 1 | wort |
| Wings | The parts an animal uses to fly. | 1 | wingz |
| Whiskers | The long stiff hairs on a cat's face. | 2 | WIS-kerz |
| Window | The glass opening in a wall. | 2 | WIN-doh |
| Wagon | A cart with wheels for pulling things. | 2 | WAG-un |
What each word means
Witch
A hat is the whole costume, and the reason the pointed hat means witch to every child. In a sentence: “The witch stirred her pot and laughed.”
Wand
A stick and a star of foil makes one, which is a two-minute craft before a party. In a sentence: “She waved her wand at the frog.”
Web
A web has a spider in it. Once it is empty and dusty it becomes a cobweb. In a sentence: “A web stretched across the doorway.”
Wolf
A real animal, unlike almost everything else on this page, and one that really does howl. In a sentence: “A wolf howled somewhere far off.”
Werewolf
The full moon is what changes them in stories, which links this page to the F page. In a sentence: “The werewolf changed under the full moon.”
Wizard
The pair to witch, and worth teaching together so the difference is just who is doing the magic. In a sentence: “The wizard had a long grey beard.”
Wicked
Said in two beats even though it looks like one, which surprises children reading it. In a sentence: “The wicked queen locked the door.”
Wail
Longer and sadder than a scream, and the sound ghosts make rather than monsters. In a sentence: “A wail came from the empty house.”
Whisper
A child can do it while you say it, and it pairs with quiet, sneak and tiptoe. In a sentence: “She whispered so nobody would hear.”
Wart
Always drawn on the witch's nose, and a real thing that is nothing to do with witches. In a sentence: “The mask had a green wart on the nose.”
Wings
The most-wanted part of a costume for small children, whatever the rest of it is. In a sentence: “Her wings were made of wire and net.”
Whiskers
Three lines each side with face paint, and a cat costume is finished. In a sentence: “We drew whiskers on his cheeks.”
Window
Where the paper bats and ghosts go up, and the first thing a child decorates. In a sentence: “Paper bats were stuck to the window.”
Wagon
Useful for pulling a tired small child home at the end of the night. In a sentence: “He rode home in the wagon.”
Which W words are hardest for a preschooler to say?
Witch, Wand, Web, Wolf, Werewolf, Wizard, Wicked, Wail, Whisper, Wart, Wings, Whiskers, Window and Wagon each start with a single /w/ sound, so a three year old can usually copy them straight back. If your child is at the copying-back stage, start with Witch.
How to use these W words with preschoolers
Say it, then find it
Say the word out loud and stretch the first sound: witch. 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 10 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 W word list and tracing sheet
Two pages, A4, free to print with no sign-up. The word list has all 14 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 10 spooky words, Witch, Wand, Web, Wolf, Werewolf, Wizard, Wicked, Wail, Whisper and Wart, on handwriting rules to write over.
Word list
Tracing sheet
More on the letter W
This page is one letter of Halloween words A to Z. For letter formation and tracing practice, see letter W activities for preschoolers. For animal names beginning with the same letter, see animals that start with W, and for the winter equivalent see Christmas words that start with W.
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 V | Halloween words that start with X →
Frequently asked questions
What Halloween words start with W?
Witch, Wand, Web, Wolf, Werewolf, Wizard, Wicked, Wail, Whisper, Wart, Wings, Whiskers, Window and Wagon. All 14 are listed above with a short meaning for each.
Which Halloween W word is easiest for a preschooler?
Witch. 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 W words?
They run from one to two. Witch, Wand, Web, Wolf, Wail, Wart and Wings 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.
