List of Phobias from A to Z

A phobia is an exceptionally overwhelming feeling of fear, threat, or danger. It is an anxiety disorder that triggers a panic attack when one finds oneself face-to-face with the source of a phobia. If the condition continues to worsen and becomes debilitating, seeking professional help becomes important. We have curated an alphabetically arranged list of phobias. But first, let’s understand the different types they are classified into.

Types of Phobias 

Phobias develop around objects or situations. They are broadly categorised into two groups:

1. Specific Phobias 

These phobias are linked to specific objects or situations. People tend to develop them during childhood or adolescence and they become less severe as they age. The most common types of specific phobias are: 

• Fear of animals 
• Phobias linked to the natural environment
• Phobias linked to situations
• Body-based phobias
• Sexual phobias
• Other phobias

2. Complex Phobias 

Complex phobias are more disruptive and overwhelming. They are mainly present in adults. Complex phobias are of two types:

• Social Phobia – It is the feeling of fear in social situations.
• Agoraphobia – It is the feeling of fear linked to places and situations.

List of Phobias A to Z

There can be a phobia for just about anything. At present, there are more than 400 recognised phobias. Here is a list of phobias A to Z.

Common Phobias Starting with Alphabet A

1. Acarophobia – Fear of itching or of crawling insects that cause itching
2. Acrophobia – Fear of heights
3. Aerophobia – Fear of flying
4. Agyrophobia – Fear of crossing a busy street
5. Aichmophobia – Fear of sharp, pointed objects
6. Ambulophobia – Fear of walking
7. Anthrophobia – Fear of humans
8. Aphenphosmphobia – Fear of being touched
9. Arithmophobia – Fear of numbers
10. Arachnophobia – Fear of spiders

Common Phobias Starting with Alphabet B

1. Bathophobia – Fear of falling from a high place
2. Batophobia – Fear of being close to tall buildings
3. Barophobia – Fear of gravity
4. Belonephobia – Fear of pointed things like pins and needles
5. Bibliophobia – Fear of books
6. Brontophobia – Fear of thunder
7. Botanophobia – Fear of plants
8. Bacteriophobia – Fear of bacteria
9. Bathmophobia – Fear of stairs
10. Batrachophobia – Fear of amphibians

Common Phobias Starting with Alphabet C

1. Claustrophobia – Fear of tight or confined spaces
2. Catagelophobia – Fear of being ridiculed
3. Catoptrophobia – Fear of mirrors
4. Chromophobia – Fear of colours
5. Coulrophobia – Fear of clowns
6. Cyberphobia – Fear of computers
7. Cynophobia – Fear of dogs
8. Cacophobia – Fear of ugliness
9. Chronomentrophobia – Fear of clocks
10. Chionophobia – Fear of snow

Common Phobias Starting with Alphabet D

1. Decidophobia – Fear of making decisions
2. Deipnophobia – Fear of dining with others
3. Dementophobia – Fear of going insane
4. Demonophobia – Fear of demons
5. Dendrophobia – Fear of trees
6. Dentophobia – Fear of dentists
7. Dermatophobia – Fear of skin lesions 
8. Dystychiphobia – Fear of accidents
9. Domatophobia – Fear of houses

Common Phobias Starting with Alphabet E

1. Eisoptrophobia – Fear seeing oneself in a mirror
2. Electrophobia – Fear of electricity
3. Eleutherophobia – Fear of freedom
4. Enochlophobia – Fear of crowds
5. Eosophobia – Fear of dawn or daylight
6. Erotophobia – Fear of sex or sexual intimacy
7. Euphorbia – Fear of hearing good news
8. Ephebiphobia – Fear of teenagers
9. Entomophobia – Fear of insects
10. Equinophobia – Fear of horses

Common Phobias Starting with Alphabet F

1. Francophobia – Fear of French people
2. Frigophobia – Fear of cold things or cold
3. Flossy Phobia – Fear of candy floss
4. Febriphobia – Fear of fever
5. Felinophobia – Fear of cats

Common Phobias Starting with Alphabet G

1. Gamophobia – Fear of marriage
2. Geliophobia – Fear of laughter
3. Globophobia – Fear of balloons
4. Gerascophobia – Fear of growing old
5. Graphophobia – Fear of writing
6. Glossophobia – Fear of public speaking
7. Gymnophobia – Fear of nudity
8. Gynophobia – Fear of women

Common Phobias Starting with Alphabet H

1. Hadephobia – Fear of hell
2. Hagiophobia – Fear of holy people and places 
3. Harpaxophobia – Fear of being robbed
4. Heliophobia – Fear of the sun
5. Hemophobia – Fear of blood
6. Herpetophobia – Fear of reptiles
7. Heterophobia – Fear of heterosexuals
8. Hydrophobia – Fear of water
9. Hypochondria – Fear of illness

Common Phobias Starting with Alphabet I

1. Iatrophobia – Fear of doctors
2. Ideophobia – Fear of new ideas or thoughts
3. Illyngophobia – Fear of vertigo
4. Insectophobia – Fear of insects
5. Iophobia – Fear of poison
6. Isolophobia – Fear of isolation
7. Ithyphallophobia – Fear of an erection

Common Phobias Starting with Alphabet J

1. Japanophobia – Fear of Japanese
2. Judeophobia – Fear of Jews
3. Jangelaphobia – Fear of jelly
4. Jelly Bean phobia – Fear of jelly beans

Common Phobias Starting with Alphabet K

1. Kainotophobia – Fear of change
2. Kakorrhaphiophobia – Fear of failure
3. Katagelophobia – Fear of being ridiculed
4. Kathisophobia – Fear of sitting down
5. Kenophobia – Fear of empty spaces
6. Kinemortophobia – Fear of zombies
7. Kinetophobia – Fear of motion
8. Koinoniphobia – Fear of being in a room full of people

Common Phobias Starting with Alphabet L

1. Lachanophobia – Fear of vegetables
2. Leprophobia – Fear of leprosy
3. Leukophobia – Fear of the colour white
4. Ligyrophobia – Fear of loud noises
5. Lygophobia – Fear of things placed on the left side
6. Limnophobia – Fear of lakes
7. Laliophobia – Fear of speaking
8. Lockiophobia – Fear of childbirth

Common Phobias Starting with Alphabet M

1. Macrophobia – Fear of prolonged waiting
2. Mageirocophobia – Fear of cooking
3. Monophobia – Fear of being alone
4. Mastigophobia – Fear of being punished
5. Mechanophobia – Fear of machines
6. Megalophobia – Fear of big things
7. Melanophobia – Fear of the black colour 
8. Microphobia – Fear of small things

Common Phobias Starting with Alphabet N

1. Necrophobia – Fear of death or dead things
2. Nebulaphobia – Fear of fog
3. Noctiphobia – Fear of the night
4. Nomophobia – Fear of being without your mobile phone
5. Nosocomephobia – Fear of hospitals
6. Nyctophobia – Fear of the dark
7. Nephophobia – Fear of clouds

Common Phobias Starting with Alphabet O

1. Obesophobia – Fear of gaining weight
2. Octophobia – Fear of figure 8
3. Ochophobia – Fear of vehicles
4. Ombrophobia: Fear of rain
5. Odynophobia – Fear of pain
6. Ornithophobia: Fear of birds
7. Osmophobia: Fear of smells
8. Ophidiophobia – fear of snakes
9. Ornithophobia – Fear of birds

Common Phobias Starting with Alphabet P

1. Pantophobia – Fear of everything
2. Papyrophobia – Fear of paper
3. Pathophobia – Fear of disease and suffering
4. Pedophobia – Fear of children
5. Philematophobia – Fear of kissing
6. Philophobia – Fear of love
7. Phobophobia – Fear of phobias
8. Padophobia -Fear of feet
9. Pogonophobia – Fear of beards
10. Pyrophobia – Fear of fire

Common Phobias Starting with Alphabet Q

There is no known phobia starting with the letter Q.

Common Phobias Starting with Alphabet R

1. Radiophobia – Fear of X-ray scanning
2. Rhytiphobia – Fear of getting wrinkles
3. Rupophobia – Fear of dirt
4. Ranidaphobia – Fear of frogs
5. Rhypophobia – Fear of defecation
6. Russophobia – Fear of Russians

Common Phobias Starting with Alphabet S

1. Sciaphobia – Fear of shadows
2. Scopophobia – Fear of being looked at
3. Sitophobia – Fear of food
4. Selenophobia – Fear of the moon
5. Sociophobia – Fear of being evaluated socially
6. Somniphobia – Fear of sleep
7. Scolionophobia – Fear of school

Common Phobias Starting with Alphabet T

1. Tachophobia – Fear of speed
2. Taphephobia – Fear of being buried alive
3. Technophobia – Fear of technology
4. Thalassophobia – Fear of the ocean
5. Theophobia – Fear of God
6. Tonitrophobia – Fear of thunder
7. Trypophobia – Fear of holes

Common Phobias Starting with Alphabet U

1. Uranophobia – Fear of heaven
2. Urophobia – Fear of urinating

Common Phobia Starting with Alphabet V

1. Vaccinophobia – Fear of vaccination
2. Venustraphobia – Fear of beautiful women
3. Verbophobia – Fear of words
4. Verminophobia – Fear of germs
5. Virginitiphobia – Fear of rape
6. Vestiphobia – Fear of clothing
7. Vitricophobia – Fear of step-father

Common Phobias Starting with Alphabet W

1. Walloonphobia – Fear of the Walloons
2. Wiccaphobia – Fear of witches
3. Workplace phobia – Fear of the workplace

Common Phobias Starting with Alphabet X

1. Xanthophobia – Fear of the yellow colour
2. Xenoglossophobia – Fear of foreign languages
3. Xenophobia – Fear of strangers or foreigners
4. Xerophobia – Fear of dryness
5. Xylophobia – Fear of forests
6. Xyrophobia – Fear of razors
7. Xinoaxphobia – Fear of the letter X

Phobias Starting with Alphabet Y

1. Ymophobia – Fear of contrariety

Phobias Starting with Alphabet Z

1. Zelophobia – Fear of jealousy
2. Zeusophobia – Fear of God
3. Zemmiphobia – Fear of mole rat
4. Zoophobia – Fear of animals

Symptoms of Phobia

When a person suffering from a phobia comes face-to-face with the source of the phobia, it triggers a panic attack. The symptoms include:

• Physical symptoms like dizziness, sweating, hot or cold flushes, trembling or shaking, weakness, rapid heart rate, fast breathing, etc.
• Psychological symptoms like feeling of dying, fainting, or losing control

Diagnosis of Phobia

While most people with common phobias do not require any formal diagnosis. Self-care and understanding of phobias help them manage their situations well.

However, people who experience severe symptoms will require a formal diagnosis by a certified physiatrist.

Treatment for Phobias

Depending upon the type of phobia and the severity of symptoms, a treatment plan may be formulated. This includes:

• Counselling session
• Psychotherapy 
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
• Desensitisation or self-exposure therapy
• Medications

Conclusion

Phobia is a mental condition that triggers an irrational fear in the mind. The fear of threat, danger or loss can be debilitating for the body and mind. Interestingly, there can be a phobia for anything.  The most common phobias have been mentioned above. Please note, the above list of phobias A to Z is just a portion of the common fears that people experience. 

The symptoms of a phobia can be mild to severe. Thankfully, phobias can be managed well through self-care and understanding of the phobia. However, in case of severe symptoms, medical intervention and formal treatment become important.