A to Z: List of Phobias, From the Strange to the Common

Phobias are one of the most common mental illnesses in the United States. The National Institute of Mental Health suggests that eight percent of U.S. adults have some type of phobia. Women are more likely to experience phobias than men. Typical symptoms of phobias can include nausea, trembling, rapid heartbeat, feelings of unreality, and being preoccupied with the fear object.

The American Psychiatric Association identifies three different categories of phobias: social phobias, agoraphobia, and specific phobias. When people talk about having a phobia of a specific object such as snakes, spiders or needles, they are referring to a specific phobia.

Types of Specific Phobias — Illustration by JR Bee, Verywell

A List of Some of the More Common Phobias

While not comprehensive, this phobia list offers a glimpse of the many phobias that can have a serious impact on an individual's life. As you may notice while you browse through this list, most specific phobias fall into one of four major categories: fears of the natural environment, fears related to animals, fear related to medical treatments or issues, and fears related to specific situations.

One important thing to remember is that virtually any object can become a fear object. The names of specific phobias are often formed as nonce words, or words coined for a single occasion only. These names themselves are often formed by taking a Greek prefix that represents the fear object and adding the -phobia suffix.

Because of this, any attempt at a completely exhaustive list of phobias would simply be an exercise in futility. Any list of phobias could grow with the addition of newly coined terms for previously unnamed specific phobias.

While listing all of the phobias that may exist is not possible, it can be helpful to look through a list of some of the more commonly described phobias. As you can see by looking at this list, almost any object or situation can become the source of fear.

A

Achluophobia - Fear of darkness
Acrophobia - Fear of heights
Aerophobia - Fear of flying
Algophobia - Fear of pain
Agoraphobia - Fear of open spaces or crowds
Aichmophobia - Fear of needles or pointed objects
Amaxophobia - Fear of riding in a car
Androphobia - Fear of men
Anginophobia - Fear of angina or choking
Anthrophobia - Fear of flowers
Anthropophobia - Fear of people or society
Aphenphosmphobia - Fear of being touched
Arachnophobia - Fear of spiders
Arithmophobia - Fear of numbers
Astraphobia - Fear of thunder and lightning
Ataxophobia - Fear of disorder or untidiness
Atelophobia - Fear of imperfection
Atychiphobia - Fear of failure
Autophobia - Fear of being alone

B

Bacteriophobia - Fear of bacteria
Barophobia - Fear of gravity
Bathmophobia - Fear of stairs or steep slopes
Batrachophobia - Fear of amphibians
Belonephobia - Fear of pins and needles
Bibliophobia - Fear of books
Botanophobia - Fear of plants

C

Cacophobia - Fear of ugliness
Catagelophobia - Fear of being ridiculed
Catoptrophobia - Fear of mirrors
Chionophobia - Fear of snow
Chromophobia - Fear of colors
Chronomentrophobia - Fear of clocks
Chronophobia - Fear of Time
Claustrophobia - Fear of confined spaces
Coulrophobia - Fear of clowns
Cyberphobia - Fear of computers
Cynophobia - Fear of dogs

D

Dendrophobia - Fear of trees
Dentophobia - Fear of dentists
Domatophobia - Fear of houses
Dystychiphobia - Fear of accidents

E

Ecophobia - Fear of the home
Elurophobia - Fear of cats
Entomophobia - Fear of insects
Ephebiphobia - Fear of teenagers
Equinophobia - Fear of horses

G

Gamophobia - Fear of marriage
Genuphobia - Fear of knees
Glossophobia - Fear of speaking in public
Gynophobia - Fear of women

H

Heliophobia - Fear of the sun
Hemophobia - Fear of blood
Herpetophobia - Fear of reptiles
Hydrophobia - Fear of water
Hypochondria - Fear of illness

I

Iatrophobia - Fear of doctors
Insectophobia - Fear of insects

K

Koinoniphobia - Fear of rooms

L

Leukophobia - Fear of the color white
Lilapsophobia - Fear of tornadoes and hurricanes
Lockiophobia - Fear of childbirth

M

Mageirocophobia - Fear of cooking
Megalophobia - Fear of large things
Melanophobia - Fear of the color black
Microphobia - Fear of small things
Mysophobia - Fear of dirt and germs

N

Necrophobia - Fear of death or dead things
Noctiphobia - Fear of the night
Nosocomephobia - Fear of hospitals
Nyctophobia - Fear of the dark

O

Obesophobia - Fear of gaining weight
Octophobia - Fear of the figure 8
Ombrophobia - Fear of rain
Ophidiophobia - Fear of snakes
Ornithophobia - Fear of birds

P

Papyrophobia - Fear of paper
Pathophobia - Fear of disease
Pedophobia - Fear of children
Philophobia - Fear of love
Phobophobia - Fear of phobias
Podophobia - Fear of feet
Porphyrophobia - Fear of the color purple
Pteridophobia - Fear of ferns
Pteromerhanophobia - Fear of flying
Pyrophobia - Fear of fire

S

Samhainophobia - Fear of Halloween
Scolionophobia - Fear of school
Selenophobia - Fear of the moon
Sociophobia - Fear of social evaluation
Somniphobia - Fear of sleep

T

Tachophobia - Fear of speed
Technophobia - Fear of technology
Tonitrophobia - Fear of thunder
Trypanophobia - Fear of needles/injections

V-Z

Venustraphobia - Fear of beautiful women
Verminophobia - Fear of germs
Wiccaphobia - Fear of witches and witchcraft
Xenophobia - Fear of strangers or foreigners
Zoophobia - Fear of animals

A Word From Verywell

Phobias can have a serious impact on well-being, but it is important to remember that you are not alone. Phobias are common, but also treatable. If you believe that you have the symptoms of some type of phobia, consult your doctor for further evaluation and treatment advice.