The ghost emoji 👻 shows a friendly white cartoon ghost, and it usually means Halloween, something spooky or a playful 'boo!'. Emojipedia says it can also mean fun or goofy, an excited 'yay' thanks to its raised arms, or 'ghosting', when someone stops replying. Dictionary.com adds that it can mean feeling invisible or not like yourself.
Every October, 👻 is everywhere. But it isn't only a seasonal emoji. It's one of the oldest emojis on your phone, it's got a surprising number of moods, and one of them is about relationships rather than costumes. Here's how to read it and when to use it.
What the 👻 ghost emoji looks like
Emojipedia describes it as a white, cartoon ghost making a silly face, with its tongue stuck out and its arms outstretched as if trying to scare someone in a friendly way. Dictionary.com describes a figure shaped like a teardrop or bubble, with arms and round black spots for eyes, and notes that on most platforms it's smiling with its tongue hanging out.
The design isn't the same everywhere. Emojipedia warns that its appearance has historically differed a lot across platforms, so use it with caution. Several designs show one larger, bulging eye and others show the ghost winking. Dictionary.com points out that Google's version is winking too, and Emojipedia says Samsung's design once showed a smiley wearing a ghost costume.
The six things 👻 can mean
| Meaning | Example | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Halloween or spooky | Pumpkin carving tonight 🎃👻 | Emojipedia, Dictionary.com |
| A playful boo or hey boo | 👻 hey you | Dictionary.com |
| Fun, goofy or cheeky | My dog after stealing a sock 👻 | Emojipedia, Dictionary.com |
| Excited yay | Got the job 👻 | Emojipedia |
| Ghosting | He just stopped replying 👻 | Emojipedia |
| Feeling invisible or not yourself | Not really here today 👻 | Dictionary.com |
Halloween and spooky things
This is the obvious one. Emojipedia says it resembles a classic ghost costume for Halloween, and Dictionary.com says it usually relates to scary things and, of course, Halloween. Dictionary.com's examples include a library promoting a spooky book display in October and someone watching a haunted house drama.
It also turns up for anything unsettling. Dictionary.com notes it's used in posts about horror films, tattoos and even a stay in a very old hotel where the writer was trying not to think about ghosts. If you're planning a spooky night in, my roundup of Halloween party games is a good place to put it to use.
Boo, hey boo and goofy energy
Because the ghost looks more silly than scary, people use it to be playful. Dictionary.com says it can be a greeting of 'hey, boo', or a way of showing that something is surprisingly creepy. Emojipedia says it can convey that something or someone is fun or goofy. Dictionary.com even has examples of pet owners using it for a cute but slightly naughty animal.
Emojipedia adds an unexpected one: thanks to its raised arms, some people use 👻 for an excited 'Yay!'. If a friend sends it after good news, that's celebration, not a scare.
The ghost emoji and ghosting
Emojipedia says 👻 may also refer to the slang term ghosting, where a relationship is ended suddenly by one person withdrawing from all communication. Merriam-Webster records that sense of ghost as an informal verb: to cut off all contact with someone abruptly and usually without explanation.
So 'got 👻'd' means someone stopped replying. Sending the emoji to a friend who's gone quiet is a gentle nudge: are you ghosting me? If it's happened to you in dating, my guide to ghosting in dating covers why people do it and what to say.
Feeling invisible
Dictionary.com points to a quieter meaning that's easy to miss. In texting, it says, 👻 can mean someone isn't feeling like themselves, or is feeling inconsequential or invisible. It's worth noticing if a friend uses it that way, because 'I'm a ghost today' can be a lighthearted way of saying something heavier.
Older than Unicode
Here's a fact for emoji fans. Emojipedia says the ghost predates the inclusion of emojis within Unicode: it was first added to early Japanese emoji keyboards by Softbank in 1999. It was then approved as part of Unicode 6.0 in 2010 and added to Emoji 1.0 in 2015, which Dictionary.com confirms.
In the official emoji-test file from Unicode, 👻 is U+1F47B, filed in the face-costume group between the goblin and the alien. It's in good company there with the clown and the pile of poo. Emojipedia also notes it's available as an Apple Animoji, so you can make it copy your own facial expressions.
Emoji can mean different things to different people, and our pinched fingers emoji explainer covers another one that sparks questions.
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Ghost: the word behind the emoji
Merriam-Webster traces ghost to Middle English gost or gast, from Old English gāst, related to Old High German geist, meaning spirit. It dates the noun to before the 12th century and the verb, meaning to haunt like a ghost, to around 1616.
The word has picked up some surprising meanings along the way. Merriam-Webster lists a ghostwriter, a false image on a television screen, and even a red blood cell that has lost its haemoglobin. And there's the phrase 'not a ghost of a chance', meaning no chance at all. Dictionary.com notes how many other words we have for the same thing: specter, spirit and spook among them.
Different age groups read emoji differently, as our clown emoji explainer shows.
Using 👻 on social media
For brands, 👻 is one of the safest seasonal emojis. It reads as fun, not frightening, and it pairs well with 🎃 in October posts. The skull emoji is its darker cousin and often means 'I'm dead' from laughing, so choose the ghost if you want spooky but sweet. Just avoid sending 👻 to a customer who's waiting on a reply from you, because they might read it as a joke about being ghosted.
Related: writing for us on relationships.
Related: hotel (this site).
Frequently asked questions
What does the 👻 emoji mean from a guy or a girl?
Usually something playful, like 'boo' or Halloween fun. In a dating chat it can be a joke about ghosting.
What does the ghost emoji mean in texts?
It can mean spooky, goofy, a 'yay', ghosting or feeling invisible, according to Emojipedia and Dictionary.com.
Does the ghost emoji mean ghosting?
It can. Emojipedia says it may refer to ghosting, when someone stops all contact.
When was the ghost emoji created?
Emojipedia says Softbank added it to Japanese keyboards in 1999. It joined Unicode 6.0 in 2010.
Why does the ghost emoji stick its tongue out?
It's designed to look silly rather than scary, says Emojipedia, like a friendly ghost costume.
Is the ghost emoji only for Halloween?
No. It's also used for fun, goofy moments, excitement and ghosting.
