List of Spells

Accio (Summoning Charm)

Pronunciation: Various suggestions have been made, including:
/ˈæki.oʊ/ ak-ee-oh – film and video game
/ˈæksi.oʊ/ ak-see-oh – U.K. audio book
/ˈæsi.oʊ/ as-see-oh – U.S. audio book
/ˈætʃi.oʊ/ at-chee-oh - Anglo-Catholic pronunciation
Description: This charm summons an object to the caster, potentially over a significant distance.[2] Its opposite is the Banishing Charm.
Seen/mentioned: First mentioned in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, when it was briefly used by Molly Weasley on the Weasley twins to confiscate their Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes' products from their pockets, before they left for the Quidditch World Cup. Hermione was also mentioned trying to learn this charm during her ride aboard the Hogwarts Express. Later on in the same book, Harry summons his broom to complete the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament.[GF Ch.20] Near the end of the book, Harry uses it to summon the Triwizard Cup after he encounters Voldemort. When Ron goes mad in the department of mysteries in Order of the Phoenix, he attempts to use it to summon a brain.
Aguamenti (Aguamenti Charm)

Pronunciation: /ˌɑːɡwəˈmɛnti/ ah-gwə-men-tee
Description: Produces a jet of water from the caster's wand.
Seen/mentioned: First seen in Goblet of Fire, when Fleur put the fire out on her skirt "with a bit of water from her wand." First named in Half-Blood Prince, when Harry is being taught how to perform this specific charm in Professor Flitwick's class. Later Harry casts this spell in an attempt to create water for Dumbledore to drink after taking Voldemort's potion[HBP Ch.26], and again to douse Hagrid's hut after it is set on fire.[HBP Ch.28][DH Ch.31].
Alohomora

Pronunciation: /əˌloʊhəˈmɔərə/ ə-loh-hə-mohr-ə
Description: Used to open and/or unlock doors,[3] but doors can be bewitched so that this spell has no effect.[PS Ch.16]
Seen/mentioned: Used throughout the series, with the first use by Hermione in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Used gradually less in the series as the characters discover more and more doors, chests, etc. with counter-charms on them. (For example, the doors into Professor Snape's and Professor Umbridge's offices are mentioned as being Alohomora-proof.[citation needed])
Notes: J. K. Rowling stated that the word was from the West African Sidiki dialect used in geomancy and has the literal meaning Friendly to thieves.[4]
Anapneo

Pronunciation: /əˈnæpniː.oʊ/ ə-nap-nee-oh
Description: Clears the target's airway, if blocked.
Seen/mentioned: Shown in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Horace Slughorn casts this spell on Marcus Belby when the latter begins to choke.[HBP Ch.7]
(Anti-Cheating Spell)

Description: Cast on parchment or quills to prevent the writer from cheating whilst writing answers.
Seen/mentioned: Mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as being cast on quills and exam papers for exams at Hogwarts.[PS Ch.16]
(Anti-Disapparition Jinx)

Description: Used to prevent Disapparition and/or Apparition in an area for a period. Presumably can be used to prevent an enemy from entering a defended area, or used to trap an enemy in an area.
Seen/mentioned: Mentioned in Order of the Phoenix, used by Dumbledore to trap several Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries.[OP Ch.36] Also cast long ago on Hogwarts, the reason why, as Hermione quotes often throughout the series, "no one can Apparate or Disapparate inside the Hogwarts grounds."
(Antonin Dolohov's Curse)

Description: Creates a streak of purple flames, causing serious injury without external symptoms.
Seen/mentioned: Seen only in Order of the Phoenix, this spell is cast three times by Antonin Dolohov during the battle between the Death Eaters and members of Dumbledore's Army at the Ministry of Magic. There is an incantation, but it was not said due to a silencing charm cast on Dolohov by Hermione.
Aparecium

Pronunciation: /ˌæpəˈriːsi.əm/ ap-ə-ree-see-əm
Description: This spell makes invisible ink appear.
Seen/mentioned: First seen in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, when Hermione tries to make hidden writing appear in Tom Marvolo Riddle's diary.[CS Ch.13]
Notes: See also Specialis Revelio.
Avada Kedavra (Killing Curse)

Pronunciation: /əˈvɑːdə kəˈdɑːvrə/ ə-vah-də kə-dah-vrə
Description: Causes instant, painless death to whomever the curse hits. There is no countercurse or method of blocking this spell; however, if someone sacrifices their life for someone else, the person who was saved will not encounter any adverse effects of any curses by the specific attacker (e.g. when Lily Potter sacrificed her life for Harry Potter at Voldemort's hands, Harry became immune to curses cast by Voldemort). One of the three Unforgivable Curses.
Survivors: Only two people in the history of the magical world are known to have survived the killing curse – Harry Potter and Voldemort; the latter was only saved by his horcruxes. Harry was hit twice directly. Phoenixes can also survive a killing curse. They burst into flame as they would do in old age and are reborn from the ashes. This occurred in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Seen/mentioned: First said (not by name) at the beginning of the first book when Harry arrives at the Dursleys' home. Seen first in Goblet of Fire against Muggle Frank Bryce, and in every book following.
Suggested etymology: During an audience interview at the Edinburgh Book Festival (15 April 2004) Rowling said: "Does anyone know where avada kedavra came from? It is an ancient spell in Aramaic, and it is the original of abracadabra, which means 'let the thing be destroyed.' Originally, it was used to cure illness and the 'thing' was the illness, but I decided to make it the 'thing' as in the person standing in front of me. I take a lot of liberties with things like that. I twist them round and make them mine."[5] Rowling's use of this name may have been influenced by Latin cadaver = "corpse".
Avis

Pronunciation: /ˈeɪvɨs/ ay-vis
Description: This charm creates a flock of birds from the caster's wand. When coupled with Oppugno, it can be used offensively.
Seen/mentioned: Shown in Goblet of Fire, cast by Mr Ollivander to test Viktor Krum's wand.[GF Ch.18] In Half-blood Prince, it is cast by Hermione, followed by Oppugno which causes the birds to attack Ron.[HBP Ch.14]

(Babbling Curse)

Description: The Babbling Curse is presumed to cause a person to babble whenever they try to speak.
Seen/mentioned: In Chamber of Secrets, Gilderoy Lockhart falsely claimed to have cured this curse.
(Banishing Charm)

Description: Opposite to "Accio". Banishes the object the spell is performed on.
Seen/mentioned: Seen in Goblet of Fire, cast by Hermione on a cushion in their Charms class. Harry also perfectly banishes a cushion during this lesson.
(Bat-Bogey Hex)

Description: Grotesquely enlarges the target's bogeys, gives them wings, and sets them attacking the target.
Seen/mentioned: Ginny Weasley is depicted as an accomplished caster of this particular spell.[OP Ch.6] She is shown to use it in Order of the Phoenix on Draco Malfoy,[OP Ch.33] and in Half-Blood Prince on Zacharias Smith.[HBP Ch.7][6]
(Bedazzling Hex)

Description: Similar to a Disillusionment Charm, it can be used to conceal a person or an object. Is also used to make invisibility cloaks.
Seen/mentioned: Mentioned in Deathly Hallows by Xenophilius Lovegood when speaking of the different methods by which Invisibility Cloaks may be created.
(Bubble-Head Charm)

Description: Puts a large bubble of air around the head of the user. Used as a magical equivalent of a scuba set or self-contained breathing apparatus.
Seen/mentioned: in Goblet of Fire, Cedric Diggory and Fleur Delacour use this charm underwater in the second task of the Triwizard Tournament.[GF Ch.26] In Order of the Phoenix, it is described as used by many Hogwarts students when walking through the hallways, because of the bad smells caused by the various pranks played on Dolores Umbridge.[OP Ch.30]

(Caterwauling Charm)

Description: Anyone entering the perimeter of a Caterwauling Charm sets off a high-pitched shriek.
Seen/mentioned: Mentioned in Deathly Hallows, cast by Death Eaters over Hogsmeade to protect against intruders.[DH Ch.28]
Note: Similar to an intruder charm: they both produce an alarm if the vicinity is disturbed.[citation needed]
Cave Inimicum

Pronunciation: /ˈkɑːveɪ ɨˈnɪmɨkəm/ kah-vay i-nim-i-kəm
Description: Spell used to strengthen an enclosure from enemies.
Seen/mentioned: Shown only in Deathly Hallows, cast by Hermione and Harry Potter to strengthen their campsites' defences.[DH Ch.22]
(Cheering Charm)

Description: Causes the person upon whom the spell was cast to become happy and contented, though heavy-handedness with the spell may cause the person to break into an uncontrollable laughing fit.
Seen/mentioned: First seen in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.[PA Ch.15]
Colloportus

Pronunciation: /kɒlɵˈpɔrtəs/ kol-o-por-təs
Description: Magically locks a door, preventing it from being opened by Muggle means.[7]
Seen/mentioned: First in Order of the Phoenix, cast by Hermione in the Department of Mysteries.
Notes: This spell functions as the counter spell to Alohomora
(Colour-Change Charm)

Description: Changes an object's colour.
Seen/mentioned: Attempted by Ron on initial trip to Hogwarts; mentioned in Harry's Ordinary Wizarding Levels in Order of the Phoenix;[OP Ch.31] also used by Harry on Ron's Chudley Cannon's poster when the Trace was lifted.
Confringo (Blasting Curse)

Pronunciation: /kɒnˈfrɪŋɡoʊ/ kon-fring-goh
Description: Causes anything that the spell meets to explode in flames.
Seen/mentioned: Seen only in Deathly Hallows. In the opening chapters, it is cast by Harry to destroy the sidecar of the flying motorbike.[DH Ch.4] Later, it is used by Hermione in an attempt to kill Nagini and facilitate an escape from Bathilda Bagshot's house in Godric's Hollow.[DH Ch.17]
Confundo (Confundus Charm)

Pronunciation: /kɒnˈfʌndoʊ/ kon-fun-doh
Description: Causes the victim to become confused, befuddled, overly forgetful and prone to follow simple orders without thinking about them.
Seen/mentioned: First mentioned in Prisoner of Azkaban, when Severus Snape suggests that Harry and Hermione had been Confunded to believe Sirius Black's claim to innocence.[PA Ch.21] In Goblet of Fire, it is suggested that a powerful Confundus Charm is responsible for the Goblet choosing a fourth Triwizard contestant.[GF Ch.17] It is first seen in action when Hermione uses it on Cormac McLaggen during Quidditch tryouts in Half-Blood Prince.[HBP Ch.11]
(Conjunctivitus Curse)

Description: A curse that causes great pain to the victim's eyes.
Seen/mentioned: It is suggested by Sirius in Goblet of Fire as a means for defeating a dragon for the first task of the Triwizard Tournament, and used by Krum for this purpose.[GF Ch.19, 20] Mentioned in Order of the Phoenix as cast by Madame Maxime against giants.[OP Ch.20]
Crucio (Cruciatus Curse)

Cruciatus redirects here. For the ligaments in the knee, see Cruciate ligament.
Pronunciation: /ˈkruːsi.oʊ/ krew-see-oh
Description: Inflicts unbearable pain on the recipient of the curse.[HP4] One of the three Unforgivable Curses.
Seen/mentioned: First seen in Goblet of Fire introduced by Barty Crouch Jr (acting as Moody) and used on a spider. Used regularly by the Death Eaters as torture, and by Voldemort as punishment, even against his servants.

Defodio (Gouging Spell)

Pronunciation: /dɛˈfoʊdi.oʊ/ de-foh-dee-oh
Description: Can carve or dig out materials, such as stone and steel.
Seen/mentioned: Cast by Harry, Ron and Hermione in Deathly Hallows to help dig their way out of the Gringotts Tunnels.[DH Ch.26]
Deletrius

Pronunciation: /dəˈliːtri.əs/ də-lee-tree-əs
Description: Removes evidence of previous spells cast by the wand, revealed by Prior Incantato.
Seen/mentioned: Seen only in Goblet of Fire when Amos Diggory gets rid of the echo of the Dark Mark from Harry's wand.[GF Ch.9]
Densaugeo

Pronunciation: /dɛnˈsɔːdʒiː.oʊ/ den-saw-jee-oh
Description: Causes the teeth of the recipient to grow at an alarming rate.
Seen/mentioned: Seen only in Goblet of Fire, cast by Draco on Harry, which is then deflected onto Hermione.[GF Ch.18]
Deprimo

Pronunciation: /ˈdɛprɨmoʊ/ dep-rim-oh
Description: A very powerful wind that can loosen and/or soften a variety of things; it can also be used to detach objects.
Seen/mentioned: Introduced in Deathly Hallows when Hermione casts this to blast a hole in the Lovegood's living room floor.[DH Ch.21]
Descendo

Pronunciation: /dɛˈsɛndoʊ/ de-sen-doh
Description: Makes things sink, or go down.
Seen/mentioned: Seen twice in Deathly Hallows, it is cast by Ron to magically cause the stairs in his room to descend,[DH Ch.6] and later by Crabbe in the Room of Requirement to lower the wall behind which Ron is hiding.[DH Ch.31]
Diffindo (Severing Charm)

Pronunciation: /dɪˈfɪndoʊ/ di-fin-doh
Description: Cuts or rips objects.
Seen/mentioned: In Goblet of Fire when Ron wants to get rid of the lace on his dress robes. In Goblet of Fire when Harry urgently wants to talk to Cedric he casts this spell to rip his bag, delaying him for class.[GF Ch.9] In Half-Blood Prince when Harry swaps the cover of the Half-Blood Prince's copy of Advanced Potion-Making with the cover of a new copy, allowing him to keep the Prince's notes under the guise of a new book.
(Disillusionment Charm)

Description: Causes the target to become invisible, or close to it.
Seen/mentioned: First in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, when Dumbledore tells Harry that he does not need a cloak to become invisible. In Order of the Phoenix, Moody casts this charm on Harry.[OP Ch.3, 4] Xenophilius Lovegood mentions, in Deathly Hallows, that Invisibility Cloaks are sometimes created by casting a Disillusionment Charm on a regular cloak.[DH Ch.21]
Dissendium

Description: Opens the hump on the statue of the one-eyed witch on the third floor, revealing the secret passage into the Honeydukes cellar.
Seen/Mentioned First seen in Prisoner of Azkaban, when Fred and George give Harry the Marauder's Map,[PA Ch.10] and cast thereafter whenever using that passage.
Duro

Pronunciation: /ˈdjʊəroʊ/ dewr-oh
Description: Makes the object hard.
Seen/mentioned: Seen in Deathly Hallows, cast by Hermione while escaping from Death Eaters in Hogwarts.[DH Ch.32]

HideE

Engorgio (Engorgement Charm)

Pronunciation: /ɛŋˈɡɔrdʒi.oʊ/ eng-gor-jee-oh
Description: Causes objects to swell in size.
Seen/mentioned: A "Growth Charm" with the same effect is briefly mentioned. Hagrid is suspected of having performed the charm on his pumpkins in Chamber of Secrets. Also seen in Goblet of Fire when Barty Crouch Jr, impersonating Moody, casts it on a spider to enhance a demonstration of the effects of the Cruciatus Curse.
(Entrail-Expelling Curse)

Description: Presumably causes the entrails (i.e. intestines) to be ejected from the body.
Seen/mentioned: First mentioned in Order of the Phoenix when Harry visits St Mungo's following Arthur Weasley's attack by Nagini while guarding the Department of Mysteries.
Episkey

Pronunciation: /ɛˈpɪskiː/ e-pis-kee
Description: Used to heal relatively minor injuries. When this spell is cast, the person feels his/her injured body part go very hot and then very cold.
Seen/mentioned: Used in Goblet of Fire after the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. In Half-Blood Prince, Nymphadora Tonks uses this spell to fix Harry's broken nose; also used by Harry in the same book to fix Demelza Robins' mouth.
Suggested etymology: Greek episkeu meaning "repair, restoration".[8]
Notes: Rowling writes in Half-Blood Prince that Harry's knowledge tells him this spell could belong to a family (or variety) of Healing Spells.
Erecto

Pronunciation: /ɛˈrɛktoʊ/ e-rek-toh
Description: Used to erect something.
Seen/mentioned: Possibly used in Goblet of Fire by wizards at the campsites near the Quidditch World Cup. Used by Hermione and Harry in Deathly Hallows.
Evanesco (Vanishing Spell)

Pronunciation: /ɛvəˈnɛskoʊ/ ev-ə-nes-koh
Description: Makes the target vanish.
Seen/mentioned: Used in Order of the Phoenix by Snape to make Harry's potions disappear from his cauldron. In addition, when Fred and George were showing off their puking pastilles, Lee Jordan cleared the bucket of vomit with the Evanesco spell.
Notes: According to Minerva McGonagall, in Deathly Hallows, Vanished objects and organisms go "into non-being, which is to say, everything."
Expecto Patronum (Patronus Charm)

Pronunciation: /ɛksˈpɛktoʊ pəˈtroʊnəm/ eks-pek-toh pə-troh-nəm
Description: Conjures an incarnation of the caster's innermost positive feelings, such as joy or hope, known as a Patronus. A Patronus is conjured as a protector, and is a weapon rather than a predator of souls: Patronuses shield their conjurors from Dementors or Lethifolds, and can even drive them away. They are also used amongst the Order of the Phoenix to send messages.[9] According to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the Charm is the only known defensive spell against Lethifolds.
Seen/mentioned: First seen in Prisoner of Azkaban when a Dementor appears in the Hogwarts Express, and Hermione says that Remus Lupin repelled the Dementor by casting a silvery object from his wand. Harry's corporeal Patronus first appears in a Quidditch game, and other characters throughout the rest of the series use it.
Expelliarmus (Disarming Charm)

Pronunciation: /ɛksˌpɛliˈɑrməs/ eks-pel-ee-ar-məs
Description: This spell is used to disarm another wizard, typically by causing the victim's wand to fly out of reach.[10][11]
Seen/mentioned: First seen in Chamber of Secrets, when Snape disarms Gilderoy Lockhart in the Duelling Club; from then on it is commonly used throughout the rest of the series. Draco uses it to disarm Dumbledore and Harry uses the spell to not only disarm Gregory Goyle in the Room of Requirement, but also to reflect Voldemort's killing curse during the final battle.
Expulso

Pronunciation: /ɛkˈspʊlsoʊ/ ek-spuul-soh
Description: A spell that causes an object to explode. The force of the explosion may depend on the intent of the caster.
Seen/mentioned: Used by a Death Eater in an attempt to capture Harry in The Deathly Hallows, it struck the table that Harry was standing behind, causing an explosion that slammed him into a wall with great force.