English isn't my first language, so I'm not 100% sure, but I found this on the net; "Ghost is the general word for the appearance of a dead person in the semblance of his living form. Phantom can apply to any manifestation, pleasant or not, any illusion or idea, such as "the phantom of a future utopia"." (I slightly disagree with this one, since ghost/phantom/spirit are synonyms, including illusion) I would say, they are more or less alike, though there are some differences in where they get used. Also,"ghost" is most common, it applies more to daily life, while "phantom" sounds more poetic and therefore used less.

They could both be synonyms referring to the appearance of a dead person as Chrisa mentioned. However 'phantom' could also mean something that you imagine but it ain't real. It refers to the apparation of something abstract ,that could appear specially in a dream or as a hallucination( it is usually something unpleasant or horrific). So 'phantom' is a more general term ,that could be a 'ghost' or any other apparation .

as regarding to such, yes, they are rather quite referred to as "synonyms". it is also true that "ghost" is ofter set unto describing a person that has died and is stuck on this earth as not to yet have achieved "peace". "phantoms" are often used as more of an evil form of a ghost, as well as other perceptions.

If you look up the word "phantom" online, you will find that one of its definitions is usually "ghost" or "apparition." In the sense of a paranormal phenomenon, then, there would appear to be no difference. However there used to be a comic book called The Phantom who was a hero because he saved people. Many people claim to have seen the ghosts of dead people. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&defl=en&q=define:phantom&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title

Thank you so much everyone!!! It's much clearer now...