Vocabulary · Culture
Religions and beliefs in English
B1
Religions and beliefs in English: the main world religions, believers, places of worship, religious figures, practices and festivals. With British pronunciation (IPA) and examples.
Quick answer
Main religions
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| religion(n.)“Religion is a personal matter.” | a system of faith and worship | /rɪˈlɪdʒən/ |
| Christianity(n.) | the faith that follows Jesus Christ | /ˌkrɪstiˈænəti/ |
| Islam(n.) | the religion of Muslims, based on the Quran | /ˈɪzlɑːm/ |
| Judaism(n.) | the religion of Jewish people | /ˈdʒuːdeɪɪzəm/ |
| Hinduism(n.) | an ancient religion from India | /ˈhɪnduːɪzəm/ |
| Buddhism(n.) | the religion based on the Buddha's teaching | /ˈbʊdɪzəm/ |
| atheism(n.) | the belief that no god exists | /ˈeɪθiɪzəm/ |
| agnosticism(n.) | not knowing if any god exists | /æɡˈnɒstɪsɪzəm/ |
Believers
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Christian(n./adj.)“He's a devout Christian.” | a follower of Christianity | /ˈkrɪstʃən/ |
| Catholic(n./adj.) | a Christian who follows the Pope | /ˈkæθəlɪk/ |
| Protestant(n./adj.) | a Christian, not Catholic or Orthodox | /ˈprɒtɪstənt/ |
| Muslim(n./adj.) | a follower of Islam | /ˈmʊzlɪm/ |
| Jew / Jewish(n./adj.) | a follower of Judaism; related to Judaism | /dʒuː/ |
| Hindu(n./adj.) | a follower of Hinduism | /ˈhɪnduː/ |
| Buddhist(n./adj.) | a follower of Buddhism | /ˈbʊdɪst/ |
| atheist(n.) | a person who believes no god exists | /ˈeɪθiɪst/ |
| agnostic(n.) | a person unsure if any god exists | /æɡˈnɒstɪk/ |
| believer(n.) | a person with religious faith | /bɪˈliːvə/ |
Places of worship
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| church(n.)“They go to church on Sunday.” | a building where Christians worship | /tʃɜːtʃ/ |
| cathedral(n.) | a large, important church | /kəˈθiːdrəl/ |
| chapel(n.) | a small church or prayer room | /ˈtʃæpl/ |
| mosque(n.) | a building where Muslims pray | /mɒsk/ |
| synagogue(n.) | a building where Jewish people pray | /ˈsɪnəɡɒɡ/ |
| temple(n.) | a building for worship in many religions | /ˈtempl/ |
| monastery(n.) | a place where monks live and pray | /ˈmɒnəstəri/ |
| shrine(n.) | a small holy place for prayer | /ʃraɪn/ |
Religious figures
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| God(n.) | the one supreme being in many religions | /ɡɒd/ |
| Jesus / Jesus Christ(n.) | the central figure of Christianity | /ˈdʒiːzəs/ |
| Mary / the Virgin Mary(n.) | the mother of Jesus | /ˈmeəri/ |
| priest(n.) | a person who leads Catholic or Orthodox services | /priːst/ |
| pastor(n.) | a person who leads a Protestant church | /ˈpɑːstə/ |
| nun(n.) | a woman in a religious community | /nʌn/ |
| monk(n.) | a man in a religious community | /mʌŋk/ |
| pope(n.) | the head of the Catholic Church | /pəʊp/ |
| rabbi(n.) | a Jewish religious teacher and leader | /ˈræbaɪ/ |
| imam(n.) | a person who leads prayers in a mosque | /ɪˈmɑːm/ |
| saint(n.) | a very holy person, honoured after death | /seɪnt/ |
| angel(n.) | a spirit who carries God's messages | /ˈeɪndʒəl/ |
Practices and festivals
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| prayer(n.)“They say a prayer.” | words you say to God or a god | /preə/ |
| to pray(v.) | to speak to God or a god | /preɪ/ |
| faith(n.) | strong religious belief | /feɪθ/ |
| soul(n.) | the spiritual part of a person | /səʊl/ |
| sin(n.) | an act against religious rules | /sɪn/ |
| heaven(n.) | a happy place after death | /ˈhevn/ |
| hell(n.) | a place of punishment after death | /hel/ |
| Christmas(n.) | the Christian festival of Jesus's birth | /ˈkrɪsməs/ |
| Easter(n.) | the Christian festival of Jesus's resurrection | /ˈiːstə/ |
| Ramadan(n.) | the Muslim month of fasting | /ˌræməˈdæn/ |
| Hanukkah(n.) | the Jewish festival of lights | /ˈhɑːnəkə/ |
| Bible(n.) | the holy book of Christians | /ˈbaɪbl/ |
| Quran / Koran(n.) | the holy book of Islam | /kɔːˈrɑːn/ |
| Torah(n.) | the holy book of Judaism | /ˈtɔːrə/ |
Common mistakes to avoid
christianity ❌: religions take a capital letter
In English, the names of religions, their followers and their holy books always start with a capital letter: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, a Muslim, the Bible, the Quran. God also takes a capital when it is the name of the one God.
He is a Jewish ❌: Jewish is an adjective
Jew is a noun and Jewish is an adjective. Say He's a Jew ✓ or He's Jewish ✓, but not a Jewish alone. Many people prefer the adjective: a Jewish family, She's Jewish. It sounds more neutral.
They go to the church every Sunday ❌: no the for worship
When people go to a church to pray, English uses no article: They go to church on Sunday. Use the when you talk about the building itself: The church is next to the school. It works like go to school and go to bed.
Practice quiz
Related pages: Religions and beliefs
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
What's next?
Religions and beliefs: learn these words for good
Learning a long list by heart and forgetting it a few days later? With PLAY, you review the words at the right moment (spaced repetition), so they stay in your head.
Review “Religions and beliefs” on PLAYFree · No sign-up · 3 minutes
For teachers“Religions and beliefs” vocabulary, ready for your lessons
The Academy groups these words into topic-based sequences, with quizzes and practice in context: your students remember the words, and you have nothing to mark.
Discover the Academy30-day free trial · No bank card needed
English contestThe “Religions and beliefs” topic is part of the contest vocabulary
Every year, the English contest uses a wide range of cultural topics. Register your students so they can see what they really remember.
Register my students5,000 students every year · Primary and secondary
Frequently asked questions
Do you capitalise religions in English?+
Yes. In English, all proper nouns take a capital letter: religions, languages, nationalities and holy books. Write Christianity, Islam, the Bible, the Quran. God also takes a capital when it is the name of the one God.
What is the difference between Jew and Jewish?+
Jew is a noun: He's a Jew. Jewish is an adjective: He's Jewish, a Jewish family. Both are correct, but many people prefer the adjective. A Jew alone can sound too direct in some sentences, and Jewish sounds more neutral.
What is the difference between pray and prey?+
They are homophones: they sound the same, /preɪ/, but they have very different meanings. To pray means to speak to God or a god: They pray every Sunday. Prey is an animal that another animal hunts: The cat caught its prey.
Is it Quran or Koran?+
Both spellings are correct. Quran is the modern spelling: it is closer to the Arabic word and more common today. Koran is the older spelling, but you still see it. In the same way, Muslim is the modern spelling of the older Moslem.
What is the difference between a priest and a pastor?+
A priest leads services in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. A pastor leads a Protestant church. People call a Catholic priest Father: Father John. Reverend is a title for many Protestant ministers. The right word depends on the Christian group.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/vocabulary/religions
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.