What Is Hetty’s Ghost Power on ‘Ghosts’? Understanding Her Impressive and Limited Ability

Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Season 4, Episode 16 of Ghosts.

If you’re a fan of Ghosts, you probably know that most of the spirits in Woodstone Mansion have their own unique abilities. Pete can walk off the property, Trevor can slightly move objects, and Sass can enter people’s dreams. For a long time, Hetty Woodstone — one of the most opinionated and hilarious ghosts in the house — seemed like she didn’t have a special power.

Shockingly, she does have one, and it’s pretty fitting for her character. What is Hetty’s ghost power? Turns out, she can be seen by the living. Unfortunately, there is a big limitation to this impressive power. So, how exactly does it work? Keep reading as we dive into it.

Hetty’s power was first revealed on Season 4, Episode 16. Things got weird when Jay’s cousin, Sunil, casually struck up a conversation with her, thinking she was just another guest at the B&B. While Hetty went along with it, she had no idea what was going on at first.

It wasn’t until Jay could also see her and realized she was Hetty that everyone started to put the pieces together. Up until that moment, the only living person the ghosts could interact with was Samantha. Suddenly, Hetty was having a conversation with everyone.

So, why does Hetty suddenly gain this ability? The best theory comes from Pete, Roberta, and Sass, who connect it to her Irish ancestry — a revelation she had only recently learned about. That detail makes her power feel even more personal, as if it’s tied to her journey of self-discovery.

Initially, Hetty thinks her ability is permanent and rejoices in. Unfortunately, she learns otherwise when her power suddenly fades away as St. Patrick’s Day ends.

Even though her ability only works once a year, it’s not a one-time thing. Her power will come back in future episodes. That said, Ghosts tends to follow a realistic timeline, so unless the show jumps ahead in time, we probably won’t see her power in action again until the next in-universe St. Patrick’s Day.

Of course, the writers could always throw in a twist. Could Hetty find another way to activate her power? Maybe there’s a loophole we don’t know about yet. After all, some of the other ghosts have discovered new layers to their abilities as the show has gone on.

Hetty’s power isn’t just a random gimmick — it actually makes a lot of sense for her character. In an interview with Deadline, Rebecca shared that she sees this ability as deeply connected to Hetty’s personality. Over the course of the series, Hetty has gone through some major personal growth. She started out as a strict, old-fashioned aristocrat, but she’s slowly been embracing change (even if it’s against her better judgment).

Her power emerged right after she learned about her Irish heritage. That’s no coincidence. It’s almost like a supernatural acknowledgment of her evolving identity. The more she learns about herself, the more she changes. Even though her ability is pretty limited, it adds another interesting layer to what the spirits are able to do.

Right now, her ability seems locked to St. Patrick’s Day, but Ghosts has a way of surprising us. Could there be other triggers that make her visible? Could she eventually learn to control when it happens? It’s something worth keeping an eye on in future seasons.

What’s certain is that Hetty’s power is one of the most unique in the show. Furthermore, it gives her the ability to interact with the living without using a middleman. For a character as outspoken as Hetty, she will definitely make the most out of being able to talk to the living — even if she can only do it once a year.