Phobia Glossary

Updated May 8, 2019 | Infoplease Staff

A Selected List of Common & Unusual Phobias

This list of phobias will prevent you from confusing your Aviophobia (the fear of flying on an airplane) with your Acrophobia (the fear of heights). You can also marvel at the variety of fears that people hold, some understandable (Necrophobia, or fear of death/dead bodies) and some pretty unusual (Phobophobia, or fear of developing a phobia)!

Acrophobia

fear of heights

Agoraphobia

fear of crowds, public places, or open areas

Ailurophobia

fear of cats

Algophobia

fear of pain

Anglophobia

fear of (or hatred for) England or anything English

Aquaphobia

fear of water

Arachnophobia

fear of spiders

Aviophobia

fear of flying in an airplane

Ballistophobia

fear of missiles, bullets, or being shot

Bibliophobia

fear (or mistrust) of books

Cynophobia

fear of dogs

Francophobia

fear of (or hatred for) France or anything French

Germanophobia

fear of (or hatred for) Germany or anything German

Gerontophobia

fear of old people or old age

Hemophobia

fear of blood

Logophobia

fear of words

Monophobia

fear of being alone

Necrophobia

fear of death or dead bodies

Nosophobia

fear of disease

Nyctophobia

fear of night or darkness

Ophidiophobia

fear of snakes

Paraskavedekatriaphobia

fear of Friday the 13th

Philophobia

fear of love or falling in love

Phobophobia

fear of developing a phobia

Photophobia

fear of (or sensitivity to) light

Pyrophobia

fear of fire

Russophobia

fear of (or hatred for) Russia or anything Russian

Sitophobia

aversion to food

Taphephobia

fear of being buried alive

Technophobia

fear of advanced technology

Thalassophobia

fear of the sea

Thanatophobia

fear of death

Toxiphobia

fear of being poisoned

Triskaidekaphobia

fear of the number 13

Xenophobia

fear (or hatred) of foreigners, strangers, or things that are foreign or strange

Xylophobia

fear of forests or wooden objects

Zoophobia

fear of animals