how to say “nightmare” in Hebrew
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סִיּוּט, חֲלוֹם בַּלָּהוֹת
In English, we use the word nightmare in both the literal sense of a bad dream, and in the figurative, emphatic sense of a difficult event or series of events.
So too in Hebrew, where the word used in the figurative, emphatic sense is סִיּוּט
listen and repeat.
listen and repeat. 
For example:
אֵיזֶה סִיּוּט הָיָה לָצֵאת מִתֵּל אָבִיב הָעֶרֶב, עִם כָּל הַפְּקָקִים.
What a nightmare it was to leave Tel Aviv tonight, with all the traffic jams.
סיוט can be used in the literal sense, as can another term, חֲלוֹם בַּלָּהוֹת listen and repeat. This term means, literally, dream of terrors, with בלהות listen and repeat being the plural form of a flowery word for terror, בַּלָּהָה listen and repeat.
listen and repeat. This term means, literally, dream of terrors, with בלהות listen and repeat being the plural form of a flowery word for terror, בַּלָּהָה listen and repeat.
The term חלום בלהות appears towards the end of this song, one of my favorites of Ehud Banai.
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