How many times is word mentioned in the Bible?
The word word appears 697 times in the King James Version, in 673 verses. Counting every form (word, words, word's), it appears 1,245 times in 1,179 verses across 60 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses word 704 times (1,261 with every form).
Word in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of word counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| word | 697 | 704 |
| words | 546 | 556 |
| word's | 2 | 1 |
| Total | 1,245 | 1,261 |
Which books mention word most
Word appears in 60 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Jeremiah has the most (181), then Psalms (85) and Ezekiel (79).
Also in: Genesis (25), Numbers (25), Matthew (25), 2 Samuel (24), Daniel (20), Zechariah (19), Mark (19), Joshua (16), 1 Chronicles (15), Ecclesiastes (14), Hebrews (14), Revelation (13), Nehemiah (12), 1 Corinthians (10), Amos (9), 1 Thessalonians (9), Judges (8), Romans (8), 2 Corinthians (8), Haggai (7), 1 Timothy (7), 2 Timothy (7), 1 Peter (7), 1 John (7), Esther (6), Hosea (6), 2 Peter (6), Ezra (5), Ephesians (5), Colossians (5), 2 Thessalonians (5), James (5), Jonah (4), Micah (3), Malachi (3), Titus (3), Joel (2), Zephaniah (2), Galatians (2), Philippians (2), Jude (2), Leviticus (1), Lamentations (1), Habakkuk (1), 3 John (1).
First and last mention of word
After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
The verse that uses it most is 1 Kings 22:13, 3 times (tied with John 1:1, 1 Thessalonians 2:13):
And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good.
Where the two translations differ
54 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 75 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Genesis 43:7: counted in the KJV only
And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?
They said, “The man asked directly concerning ourselves, and concerning our relatives, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ We just answered his questions. Is there any way we could know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down?’”
Genesis 49:21: counted in the KJV only
Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.
“Naphtali is a doe set free, who bears beautiful fawns.
Genesis 24:28: counted in the World English Bible only
And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother’s house these things.
The young lady ran, and told her mother’s house about these words.
Numbers 14:39: counted in the World English Bible only
And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.
Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly.
Verses with word on our topic pages
116 verses that use word in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
In all things I gave you an example, that so laboring you ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father, through him.
On: Gratitude, Thanksgiving, Work, Tattoos
I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
On: Gossip, What Does the Bible Say About Cussing and Swearing? 26 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Lying? 28 Verses, Purgatory
Let no man despise your youth; but be an example to those who believe, in word, in your way of life, in love, in spirit, in faith, and in purity.
Give diligence to present yourself approved by God, a workman who doesn’t need to be ashamed, properly handling the Word of Truth.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, Yahweh, my rock, and my redeemer.
On: What Does the Bible Say About Cussing and Swearing? 26 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Meditation? 29 Verses, Yoga
Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but a kind word makes it glad.
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
On: Anger, Letting Go, What Does the Bible Say About Cussing and Swearing? 26 Verses
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord.
For it is sanctified through the word of God and prayer.
On: Thanksgiving, What Does the Bible Say About Gluttony? 26 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Eating Pork? 26 Verses
Common questions
How many times is word in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 941 of the 1,245 uses are in the Old Testament and 304 in the New Testament. Word appears in 60 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Jeremiah has the most (181), then Psalms (85) and Ezekiel (79).
Where is word first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 15:1: "After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." The last is Revelation 22:19.
More word counts: truth, gospel, husband, morning, kingdom, temperance, earth, wealth, or all 680 words.
Counted by Bible Says About from the full public-domain text of the King James Version (1769 edition) and the World English Bible. Verse text only: headings and psalm titles are left out. A word is a run of letters: a hyphenated name like Beer-sheba counts as two, and an apostrophe stays inside its word (LORD'S is one). Matching ignores capital letters. Data compiled 2026-10-26.