Hi Listeners,
Do you know what the top 6 fairy tales in the United States are?
Reading short stories in English is a fun way to learn the English language and culture. Check out the 6 fairy tale stories below and learn must-know folk story words and phrases in English!
1. Top 6 Fairy Tales in the United States
A beautiful princess is cursed. She touches a spindle and falls asleep. A prince sees her body and awakens her with a kiss.
2. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
The queen is jealous of Snow White so Snow White must run away to live with seven dwarfs. She’s poisoned by an apple but is cured by a prince.
Jack trades his cow for magic beans. The beans sprout a beanstalk which leads to a giant’s castle and a goose that lays golden eggs. But the giant returns.
4. Cinderella
Cinderella sneaks into the Prince’s ball with the help of her fairy godmother. She must leave before the magic wears off, but the Prince finds her, thanks to her glass slipper.
5. Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby
Brer Fox ensnares Brer Rabbit with a doll made of tar. The more he struggles, the more entangled he gets. He tricks Fox into throwing him into a briar patch.
A beautiful girl must live in a beast’s castle to save her father. The beast is cursed and through Beauty’s love, he turns back into a prince.
2. Fairy Tale Characters and Words in English
Here are some common fairy tale characters and words in English you may come across while reading American folktale stories.
| English | Meaning |
| fairy | an imaginary creature with magical powers |
| unicorn | a single-horned mythical horse which is usually white |
| castle | large building for royalty |
| magic | art of producing illusions for entertainment |
| witch | a woman who practices magic |
| spell | a word, phrase, or form of words supposed to have magic power |
| dragon | a giant reptile-like creature which can fly and breathe fire |
| Ogre | a monster in fairy tales and popular legend, usually represented as a hideous giant who feeds on human flesh |
| king | a man who is the most important member of the royal family of his country, and who is considered to be the Head of State of that country |
| prince | a male member of a royal family, especially the son of the king or queen of a country |
| princess | a female member of a royal family, usually the daughter of a king or queen or the wife of a prince |
| once upon a time | used, especially at the beginning of children’s stories, to mean ‘a long time in the past’ |
| wizard | a man who practices magic |
| mermaid | a woman with a fish’s tail instead of legs, who lives in the sea |
| giant | an imaginary person who is very big and strong, especially one mentioned in old stories |
| dwarf | A small creature appearing in fairytales which resembles a human being but which is often ugly |
| stepmother | the woman who has married their father after the death or divorce of their mother |
Check out even more fairy tale words in the video below!
Conclusion
You might not understand every single word in English stories at first but try to guess what they mean in context. Illustrations will also help you understand the story. After reading it, make sure to look up the words in the dictionary and read the story a few more times. If you do that, you’ll surely get better at reading English.
So what tale would you like to read first? Do you know any other fairy tale stories popular in the United States? Did we miss any English fairy tale words? Let us know in the comments!
