Every English word · A–Z · Counts · Compare
Bible Word Explorer
Browse the complete 66-book King James Version and World English Bible by word. See how often each word appears, find its verses, and compare the wording.
All words, alphabetical or by count
Occurrences count every appearance. “Verses containing it” counts each verse once, even when the word repeats. The second version’s count uses the same book or testament filter.
| Word — tap to study | Main occurrences | Verses containing it | Other occurrences | Main − other |
|---|
Word study
References below use the main version and current scope. Tap a verse to compare both versions.
Compare the same verse, word by word
Highlighted words differ in this English alignment. Matching verse numbers are used; some editions divide passages differently. A highlight identifies a wording difference, not its cause or importance.
Why do Bible versions use different words?
1. English has changed
Older English uses forms such as “thou,” “thee,” and “ye,” and some words have changed meaning. A modern version may express the same idea with today’s vocabulary. In 1 Thessalonians 4:15, compare KJV “prevent” with WEB “precede”: here the older word concerns going before someone, not stopping them.
2. A word may be replaced by a phrase
Languages use different grammar and idioms. Translators sometimes need several English words for one source expression, or one English word for a phrase. This changes counts without automatically changing the underlying message. Count comparisons do not measure accuracy.
3. Translation approaches differ
Some translations preserve more of the original wording and structure; others express the meaning in natural modern sentences. Every translation still makes choices. Even a version described as “word-for-word” must handle grammar, context and idioms. Readability and close correspondence can pull in different directions.
4. Manuscript evidence can differ
The surviving handwritten witnesses are not identical in every passage. Translators evaluate variant readings and use different source editions. That can change a word, a phrase, or whether a passage is placed in a footnote. Read the edition’s textual notes rather than assuming every difference is a mistake.
5. Names and recurring terms can be rendered differently
The KJV commonly prints “LORD” where this WEB text uses “Yahweh.” That convention can produce a large difference in the count for “lord” without eliminating the references to God. Our index folds “LORD” and “Lord” together because counting ignores capitalization.
6. Editions and book collections differ
Revisions within the same translation can update wording. Christian traditions also differ in which books they include. This explorer compares the same 66-book collection in both editions so additional books do not change the scope. It does not supply a Catholic or Orthodox whole-Bible count.
Does “charity” mean something different from “love”?
Compare 1 Corinthians 13:4. In this passage KJV uses “charity” and WEB uses “love.” Older usage of “charity” is broader than today’s common sense of donating to an organization. A word’s meaning depends on its passage; the two words are not interchangeable in every sentence.
Which version is best?
Choose with your purpose in mind: familiar wording, ease of reading, or close study of structure. Comparing two versions can reveal questions to investigate, but use context, edition notes and reliable original-language resources before drawing conclusions. A bigger vocabulary or higher word count does not prove a version better.
Try a guided comparison
Bible version guide
The first two editions have complete indexed text here. The other versions below have explanatory profiles and links to their publisher-provided information; their complete texts and counts are not included.
| Version | Approach and wording | How it helps you compare |
|---|---|---|
| KJV (1769 text) | Traditional English associated with the King James translation, with older vocabulary and pronoun forms. | Shows established historical phrasing. The indexed source is the pinned KJV1769 data package, not a facsimile of the 1611 printing. |
| WEB (packaged text) | Modern English, freely distributed; this source uses “Yahweh” in many Old Testament passages. | Provides a full modern-English comparison. Its exact wording is the packaged snapshot, which can differ from updated WEB editions. Translation information |
| ESV | Emphasizes close correspondence with the original wording while allowing changes needed for English grammar. | Its approach can help when comparing structure and recurring terms. Publisher profile |
| NIV | Modern English translation intended to communicate the original text clearly to contemporary readers. | Compare its wording and edition notes when an idiom or expression is unfamiliar. Publisher profile |
| NLT | Emphasizes expressing the thoughts of the source text in natural everyday English. | Can make difficult phrasing easier to follow; the sentence structure may differ substantially. Publisher profile |
| NRSVue | Updates wording and textual decisions using recent scholarship, with attention to inclusive English where appropriate. | Its preface explains how new evidence and language research inform revisions. Publisher profile |
Count method, editions & sources
These are English surface-form concordances. No stemming, synonym merging or Hebrew/Greek word matching is applied. Apostrophes inside words remain, so “god” and “god’s” count separately. Hyphenated words are split. Repeated words within a verse increase occurrence counts but not verse counts.
Counts cover numbered verse text. Separately stored headings and notes are excluded. KJV opening Psalm superscriptions and Psalm 119 alphabet labels are excluded from this display and index. Other material embedded in a source verse can remain. Punctuation and whitespace presentation may be normalized; lexical wording is retained.
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