ghost
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ghost
The spirit of a deceased person that becomes visible or perceptible to living people; a phantom or haunting figure.
Die Kinder erzählen sich Gruselgeschichten von einem Gespenst, das im alten Schloss umgehen soll.
The children tell each other scary stories about a ghost that is said to haunt the old castle.
specter
A figurative term for a vague but unsettling fear, worry, or threat that is not tangible.
Seit der Krise geht in der Firma das Gespenst der Massenentlassungen um.
Since the crisis, the specter of mass layoffs has been haunting the company.
'Gespenst' (ghost) belongs to a word family related to spooky things. The related verb is 'spuken' (to haunt), and the adjective is 'gespenstisch' (spooky, ghostly).
In dem alten Haus soll es spuken.
The old house is said to be haunted.
When talking about real ghosts, the phrase 'ein Gespenst geht um' (a ghost is haunting/going around) is often used. Someone who is only imagining something 'sieht Gespenster' (sees ghosts).
Man sagt, dass in dieser Burg nachts ein Gespenst umgeht.
They say that a ghost haunts this castle at night.
You can often recognize the figurative meaning by the structure 'das Gespenst von/der...' (the specter of...), followed by an abstract threat. Here, the ghost is a symbol of a fear.
Das Gespenst der Inflation macht den Leuten Sorgen.
The specter of inflation is worrying people.
spirit / mind
Geist and Gespenst can both refer to the apparition of a deceased person. Geist is the broader term for a bodiless soul. Gespenst emphasizes more strongly that this figure appears or can be sensed by people and usually seems eerie or like a haunting apparition.
Sie erschrak, als das Gespenst ihres verstorbenen Großvaters im dunklen Flur erschien.
She was startled when the ghost of her deceased grandfather appeared in the dark hallway.
Sie glaubte, im Traum den Geist ihres verstorbenen Großvaters zu sehen.
She believed she saw the ghost of her deceased grandfather in a dream.
