175+ Festive Fall Words (Free Printable List and Cards)

Some people love spring best, others luxuriate in the summer heat, and there are even those who love winter’s bracing temperatures. But many folks point to fall as the season they love best, for the gorgeous foliage, delicious treats, and start of the holiday season. These fall words for colors, foods, weather, nature, activities, and more are perfect for students and classrooms. Find ideas for using them, plus get a free printable list and cards too!

Want even more words for fall? Check out these lists:

Fall vs. Autumn

Is it autumn or fall? Depends on who you ask! Autumn is the older of the two words, stretching back to the 1300s. Since the season is associated with changing foliage, poets throughout the centuries often talked about the “fall of the leaves.” Over time, this was shortened to “fall,” which became especially popular in the United States. In European countries, “autumn” tends to be more common. Either way, this list of fall and autumn words has you covered!

How To Use These Fall Words With Students

There are so many ways word lists and printable cards can help your students. Try these creative ideas:

• Word Wall: Use the cards to create an easy seasonal word wall.
• Tree of Words: Have kids cut out autumn leaves in bright colors, then write one word from the list on each. Create a fall bulletin board with a big paper tree, then attach the word leaves.
• Word of the Day: Introduce one new word from the list each day. Post it in a designated spot on your whiteboard, and ask students to come up and write sentences using the word.
• Memory Match: Print two sets of the cards, then use them to play a memory match-up game. This is a perfect idea for fall ELA centers.
• Creative Writing: Have a student draw five word cards at random. Then challenge students to write a short story using all five words.
• Writing Challenge: Give each student a copy of the printable word list. Then, ask them to write a story, poem, or essay that uses as many of the words as possible. See who can manage to use them all!
• Sentence Builders: Begin with a simple sentence like “In fall, I like to …” Then, use words from the list to expand the sentence to be more and more descriptive. “In the crisp golden days of fall, I like to rake crunchy russet and saffron leaves, then drink spicy apple cider.”
• Word Sort: Mix up the cards, then ask students to sort them any way they like. They could do it by parts of speech, beginning letter, number of syllables, or any other categories they can think of.

Fall Word Lists

Fall Colors

• amber
• beige
• brown
• burgundy
• chestnut
• copper
• crimson
• forest green
• gold/golden
• maroon
• orange
• red
• rust
• saffron
• scarlet
• sepia
• tan
• yellow

Fall Words About Food

• acorn squash
• apple butter
• apple cider
• apple crisp
• apple pie
• apples
• berry/berries
• butternut squash
• caramel apples
• corn
• cornbread
• cranberry
• fruit
• gourd
• grain
• maize
• mushroom
• nut
• nutmeg
• pear
• pecan pie
• potato
• pumpkin
• pumpkin pie
• soup
• squash
• stew
• turkey
• turnip
• vegetable
• wheat
• yams

Fall Words About Weather

• blustery
• brisk
• chill
• cloudy
• cool
• crisp
• damp
• drizzle
• fog
• frost
• gale
• gusty
• mild
• mist
• overcast
• pleasant
• rain
• sleet
• stormy
• windy

Fall Activity Words

• apple picking
• bonfire
• camping
• carving pumpkins
• corn maze
• fall festival
• farmers market
• football
• hayride
• playoffs
• raking leaves

Descriptive Fall Words

• blazing
• breezy
• bright
• chilly
• cozy
• crunchy
• damp
• dazzling
• deciduous
• delectable
• drifting
• dry
• frosty
• golden
• juicy
• mellow
• misty
• nippy
• rustling
• smoky
• snug
• spicy
• sweet
• temperate
• vibrant
• warm
• windswept
• zesty

Fall Phrases

• apple orchard
• autumn breeze
• bundle up
• changing seasons
• cold snap
• county fair
• fall festival
• fall foliage
• falling leaves
• fire pit
• harvest home
• harvest moon
• harvest time
• leaf litter
• leaf peeper
• leaf pile
• pumpkin patch
• pumpkin spice
• straw bale
• sweater weather

Fall Words About Nature

• acorn
• aster
• chrysanthemum/mum
• cobweb
• crow
• flock
• forest
• goldenrod
• hibernate/hibernation
• leaf/leaves
• log
• maple
• migrate/migration
• oak
• owl
• pine
• pinecone
• squirrel
• tree
• woods

More Fall Words

• autumn
• blanket
• bushel
• campfire
• clove
• cornucopia
• decay
• drift
• equinox
• feast
• firewood
• flannel
• gobble
• Halloween
• harvest
• hay
• homecoming
• jacket
• November
• October
• orchard
• scarecrow
• scarf
• season
• September
• snuggle
• straw
• Thanksgiving
• trick-or-treat
• World Series

Grab your free printable word list and cards for fall!

Print copies and hand them out to students to use for writing assignments, vocabulary practice, and more! Click the button below to share your email address and get instant access to the list and cards.

How will you use these fall words with your students? Come share your ideas in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook!