House of Hollow: Chapters 6–9

by Krystal Sutherland
When Iris's eldest sister goes missing, she, her middle sister, and her eldest sister's boyfriend search for her, but they risk learning more than they want to about a haunting and mysterious incident from the sisters' past.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Prologue–Chapter 5, Chapters 6–9, Chapters 10–14, Chapters 15–19, Chapters 20–24
15 words 8 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. sylvan
    relating to or characteristic of wooded regions
    The stink of the perfume had faded, and Vivi’s natural scent—sylvan, milky—passed through now.
  2. delusion
    a mistaken or unfounded opinion or idea
    For years, as my father’s delusions had swollen inside his mind, I’d become more and more afraid that he would hurt us, put a pillow over our faces while we slept.
  3. changeling
    a child secretly exchanged for another in infancy
    Conspiracy theories abound, the most popular of which are alien abduction, parental hoax, and (perhaps because of the Celtic setting) fairy changelings.
  4. smattering
    a small number or amount
    With white-blond hair, black eyes, and a smattering of freckles across her nose year-round, she is the definition of ethereal.
  5. tenet
    a basic principle or belief that is accepted as true
    It was a central tenet of our story.
  6. patina
    a sheen or gloss on a surface, especially from use or age
    The staghorn handle had a patina and the blade was pocked with age, but it looked slip-through-your-skin-like-butter sharp.
  7. liminal
    having the nature of a transitional space, phase, or experience
    I copied everything she did, living in the liminal world she left in her wake.
  8. derelict
    forsaken by owner or inhabitants
    We came across it on our first day there, down by the river. Cate warned us not to go near it. It was derelict.
  9. parquet
    a floor made of a patterned wood inlay
    The floors were bleached herringbone parquet.
  10. acrid
    strong and sharp, as a taste or smell
    The smell was strongest here, so acrid it stung my eyes and almost physically pushed me back.
  11. runnel
    a small stream
    A runnel of black liquid slipped down his back from the dead man’s open throat.
  12. stymie
    hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of
    Vivi dug in her backpack for a scarf and started tying it over the wound to stymie the bleeding.
  13. deadpan
    without betraying any feeling
    “My cat is vicious,” Vivi said with a shrug, totally deadpan.
  14. exuberant
    joyously unrestrained
    When we first returned after our kidnapping, he’d been exuberant.
  15. stanch
    stop the flow of a liquid
    I unwrapped the scarf we’d used to stanch the bleeding.
Created on Fri Jul 03 04:19:00 EDT 2026 (updated Tue Jul 28 12:46:35 EDT 2026)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.