English Vocabulary
Pick a CEFR level (A1–C2) — A1 is the friendliest place to start — and browse its words grouped by topic: travel, food, the body, emotions, and more. Each word shows its meaning, example sentences, and US/UK pronunciation.
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All 27,237 words
397 words
god
A2
/ɡɑd/
A supernatural being with great powers that people worship.
Christmas
A2
/ˈkrɪsməs/
the Christian festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, celebrated on 25 December
soul
B1
/soʊl/
The spiritual part of a person, often believed to live on after death.
church
A2
/ˈt͡ʃɝt͡ʃ/
A building where Christians meet to worship.
holy
B1
/ˈhoʊli/
Connected with God or religion and treated with deep respect.
Christ
A2
/kɹaɪst/
the title of Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah in Christian belief
faith
B2
/feɪθ/
Strong belief or trust in someone or something.
angel
A2
/ˈeɪn.d͡ʒl̩/
A spiritual being believed to serve God, often shown with wings.
bless
B1
/blɛs/
To ask God to protect or help someone or something.
priest
B1
/ˈpɹiːst/
A person trained to lead religious services and ceremonies in a church.
temple
B2
/ˈtɛm.pl̩/
A building used for worship in some religions.
Christian
B1
/ˈkɹɪʃt͡ʃən/
A person who believes in and follows Christianity.
sacrifice
C1
/ˈsæk.ɹɪˌfaɪs/
The act of giving up something valuable for the sake of something more important.
glory
B1
/ˈɡloɹ.i/
Great honour and admiration earned by an achievement.
confess
B2
/kənˈfɛs/
To admit that you have done something wrong.
bible
A2
/ˈbaɪbəl/
the sacred scriptures of Christianity, comprising the Old and New Testaments
religion
B1
/ɹəˈləd͡ʒ.ən/
Belief in a god or gods, together with the practices and worship connected to that belief.
sacred
B1
/ˈseɪkɹɪd/
Connected with religion and treated with great respect.
religious
B1
/rɪˈlɪdʒəs/
Believing in and worshipping a god or gods.
prayer
B1
/ˈpɹeɪ.ɚ/
Words spoken to a god to give thanks or ask for help.
bishop
B1
/ˈbɪʃəp/
A senior Christian priest who is in charge of the churches in a large area.
divine
B1
/dɪˈvaɪn/
Coming from or relating to a god.
goddess
B1
/ˈɡɑdəs/
A female god worshipped in a religion.
blessing
B1
/ˈblɛs.ɪŋ/
Something good that you are grateful for.
spiritual
B1
/ˈspɪɹɪt͡ʃuəl/
Relating to the human spirit or soul rather than physical things.
Jew
B2
/dʒuː/
a member of the Jewish people, an ethnoreligious group with origins in the ancient Israelites
belief
B1
/bɪˈliːf/
A feeling that something is true or real.
ritual
B2
/ˈɹɪt͡ʃ.u.əl/
A set of actions always performed in the same way, especially in a religious ceremony.
worship
B2
/ˈwɝ.ʃɪp/
To show love and respect for a god, especially through prayer or religious ceremonies.
myth
B1
/mɪθ/
A widely held but false belief or idea.
kirk
C1
/kɜɹk/
a Scottish church
almighty
C1
/ɔlˈmaɪti/
having unlimited power; omnipotent, especially as an epithet for God
palmer
C2
/ˈpɑmɚ/
historical: a pilgrim to the Holy Land, traditionally identified by the palm branch carried on returning home
pastor
B2
/ˈpæs.tɚ/
A leader of a Christian church who guides and cares for its members.
hallelujah
B2
/ˌhælɪˈluːjə/
used to praise or thank God, especially in worship or song
immortal
B2
/ɪˈmɔɹtəl/
Able to live forever; never dying.
Easter
A2
/ˈiː.stɚ/
the Christian festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, observed on a Sunday in spring
adore
B2
/əˈdoɹ/
To love someone very deeply.
altar
B2
/ˈɔl.tɚ/
A table or raised structure used for religious ceremonies.
epic
C2
/ˈep.ɪk/
constituting or having to do with or suggestive of a literary epic
prophet
C1
/ˈpɹɑ.fɪt/
A person believed to speak on behalf of God and deliver religious messages
preacher
C1
/ˈpɹit͡ʃɚ/
A person whose job is to give religious talks and lead worship.
rabbi
C1
/ˈræb.aɪ/
a Jewish religious scholar and teacher qualified to interpret Jewish law
shrine
C1
/ʃraɪn/
a sacred place dedicated to a deity, saint, ancestor, relic, or other revered figure
monastery
B2
/ˈmɑnəstɛɹi/
A building where monks live together and follow a religious life.
ark
B2
/ɑrk/
the great vessel that Noah built to preserve his family and animals from the biblical flood
mosque
A2
/mɑsk/
A building where Muslims gather to pray and worship.
cathedral
B2
/kəˈθiːdɹəl/
A large and important Christian church, especially the main one in a region run by a bishop.
mermaid
B1
/ˈmɝ.meɪd/
a mythical sea creature with the head and upper body of a woman and the tail of a fish
deacon
C2
/ˈdiːkən/
in several Christian churches, an ordained minister ranking below a priest
elf
B1
/ɛlf/
a supernatural being from Germanic folklore, later often imagined as graceful, magical, and humanlike
gospel
B1
/ˈɡɑspəl/
the Christian message about Jesus Christ and salvation
padre
C2
/ˈpɑdɹeɪ/
a Christian priest, especially in a Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking community
resurrection
C1
/ɹɛzəˈɹɛkʃən/
a revival from inactivity and disuse
genie
C2
/ˈdʒiːni/
a jinn: a spirit being in Islamic and pre-Islamic Arabian tradition, capable of choosing good or evil and normally invisible to humans
congregation
C1
/ˌkɑŋɡɹəˈɡeɪʃən/
A group of people gathered together for a religious service.
hindu
B2
/ˈhɪnduː/
a person who follows Hinduism
providence
B2
/ˈpɹɑvɪdəns/
the protective guidance, care, or ordering of events attributed to God or another divine power
relic
B2
/ˈɹɛlɪk/
An old object or custom that has survived from the past.
archbishop
C1
/ˌɑɹtʃˈbɪʃəp/
a senior Christian bishop who leads an archdiocese or presides over a province of dioceses
biblical
B2
/ˈbɪblɪkəl/
relating to, contained in, or characteristic of the Bible
hydra
C2
/ˈhaɪdrə/
in Greek mythology, a many-headed serpent whose severed heads grew back
chaplain
C1
/ˈtʃæplɪn/
a member of the clergy or another religious representative appointed to serve an institution, group, or private household
pagan
C2
/ˈpeɪɡən/
a follower of a polytheistic, nature-centered, or pre-Christian religion, including a person in a modern Pagan tradition
pilgrim
A2
/ˈpɪlɡɹɪm/
A person who travels to a holy place for religious reasons.
baptism
C1
/ˈbæptɪzəm/
a Christian sacrament or rite involving water that marks spiritual cleansing and admission to the Church
chastity
C2
/ˈt͡ʃæstɪti/
Vow made, usually because of moral or religious beliefs, to abstain from sexual relations.
horoscope
C2
/ˈhɔɹəˌskoʊp/
an astrological forecast of a person's future, often published according to their zodiac sign
talisman
C1
/ˈtælɪzmən/
an object believed to provide magical protection, good luck, health, or power
blasphemy
C2
/ˈblæs.fə.mi/
speech or conduct that shows contempt for God, a religion, or something held sacred
scripture
B2
/ˈskɹɪptʃɚ/
the sacred writings of a religion, considered collectively, or a particular sacred text
friar
C1
/ˈfraɪɚ/
a male member of a Christian mendicant order, such as the Franciscans or Dominicans
priestess
B1
/ˈpristəs/
a woman who performs priestly rites or holds the office of priest in a religion
papal
C1
/ˈpeɪpəl/
relating to the pope, the papacy, or the pope's authority
devout
C1
/dɪˈvaʊt/
deeply committed to a religion and its practices
confessor
C1
/kənˈfɛsɚ/
a priest who hears confessions and grants or pronounces absolution
archangel
C1
/ˈɑrkeɪndʒəl/
an angel of the highest or a particularly high rank in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic tradition
Jove
C2+
/dʒoʊv/
Jupiter, the chief god in Roman mythology, especially in literary references
heretic
C2
/ˈhɛɹɪtɪk/
Someone whose beliefs are contrary to the fundamental tenets of a religion they claim to belong to.
rosary
C1
/ˈɹoʊzəɹi/
a string of beads used for counting prayers, especially in Roman Catholic devotion
sanctity
C1
/ˈsæŋktɪti/
The state of being holy or sacred.
chalice
C2
/ˈtʃælɪs/
a stemmed ceremonial cup, especially the cup used for wine in the Christian Eucharist
self-confidence
B2
/ˌsɛlfˈkɑːnfədəns/
belief and trust in your own abilities
theology
C1
/θiˈɒ.lə.d͡ʒi/
The study of God, religion, and religious beliefs.
sacrificial
C1
/ˌsækrəˈfɪʃəl/
relating to, offered in, or used for a religious or ritual sacrifice
godless
C2
/ˈɡɑdləs/
not believing in or acknowledging a god or gods
sacrilege
C2
/ˈsækɹəlɪdʒ/
the violation, misuse, or profanation of something regarded as sacred
sacrament
C2
/ˈsæk.rə.mənt/
a Christian rite regarded as an outward sign of divine grace, such as baptism or the Eucharist
infidel
C2
/ˈɪnfədəl/
historical and often offensive: a person regarded as not accepting the religion considered true by the speaker
leviathan
C2
/ləˈvaɪəθ(ə)n/
a vast and powerful sea creature described in the Hebrew Bible
celibacy
C2
/ˈsɛləbəsi/
abstaining from sexual relations, for example because of religious vows
adhere
C2
/ædˈhɪɹ/
To stick firmly to a surface.
spirituality
B2
/ˌspɪr.ɪ.tʃuˈæl.ə.ti/
the quality of being concerned with the human spirit, soul, or sacred experience rather than only with material things
passover
C2
/ˈpæsˌoʊvɚ/
the Jewish spring festival commemorating the Israelites' liberation from slavery in Egypt
crucifixion
C2
/ˌkɹuː.səˈfɪk.ʃən/
execution by fastening a person to a cross or upright structure and leaving them to die
sharif
C2
/ʃəˈriːf/
a descendant of the prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima, traditionally entitled to a rank of nobility