How to Say "hair-raising" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “hair-raising” is “escalofriante” — use 'escalofriante' when the 'hair-raising' quality is about causing a chill, fright, or intense, often creepy, excitement, like in a scary movie or a startling event.
escalofriante
es-kah-loh-free-AHN-teheskaloˈfɾjante
Examples
La historia de fantasmas que nos contó era realmente escalofriante.
The ghost story he told us was truly hair-raising.
Vimos una película escalofriante anoche.
We saw a chilling movie last night.
El bosque tiene un silencio escalofriante en invierno.
The forest has a hair-raising silence in winter.
Los datos sobre el cambio climático son realmente escalofriantes.
The data regarding climate change are truly shocking.
One Form for Everyone
Because this word ends in '-e', it doesn't change for gender. You use 'escalofriante' for both masculine and feminine words (e.g., 'un libro escalofriante' and 'una historia escalofriante').
Placement for Emphasis
While it usually goes after the noun, putting it before the noun (e.g., 'una escalofriante noticia') adds a poetic or dramatic flair often found in journalism.
Describing People vs. Things
Mistake: “Using 'Estoy escalofriante' to mean 'I am scared'.”
Correction: Say 'Estoy asustado' or 'Tengo escalofríos'. 'Escalofriante' describes the thing that causes the fear, not the person feeling it.
espeluznante
es-peh-loos-NAN-tehespeluθˈnante
Examples
El sonido que venía del sótano era espeluznante.
The sound coming from the basement was hair-raising.
La película de anoche tuvo un final espeluznante.
Last night's movie had a hair-raising ending.
Escuchamos un grito espeluznante que venía del sótano.
We heard a spine-chilling scream coming from the basement.
Los detalles del accidente son realmente espeluznantes.
The details of the accident are truly horrifying.
One Form for Everyone
This word ends in 'e', which means it always stays the same regardless of whether you are describing a masculine or feminine person or thing.
Don't change the ending
Mistake: “una historia espeluznanta”
Correction: una historia espeluznante. Even though 'historia' is feminine, words ending in 'e' don't change to 'a'.
Escalofriante vs. Espeluznante Nuance
Related Translations
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