Enchant

A grandmother reads a bedtime story to her grandson. The story is about a hidden valley where flowers sing and animals talk. As she reads, the boy’s eyes grow wide. He forgets his own room. He believes he is really there, walking among the talking animals. The ordinary bedroom has become a world of wonder. What has the grandmother done to the boy? She has enchanted him.

Enchant means to fill someone with wonder or magic, as if under a spell. Fascinate, by contrast, means to attract very strongly through curiosity, strangeness, or unusual interest, without necessarily being magical. So, enchant focuses on magical, captivating charm that feels unreal and dreamlike. Fascinate focuses on intense curiosity that holds attention. In other words, a fairy’s story enchants a child; a strange insect fascinates a scientist.