christian
Chris·tian/ˈkɹɪʃt͡ʃən/noun, adjective
christian is spelled C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N: 9 letters and 2 syllables (Chris·tian). It appears 76 times per million words in written English, the 1,394th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, christian means “Uncommon spelling of Christian” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of christian is christians.
How many letters and syllables are in christian?
| Letters | 9: C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: Chris·tian |
| In writing | 76 times per million words; the 1,394th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is christian?
Christian appears 76 times per million words in written English, the 1,394th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce christian?
- /ˈkɹɪʃt͡ʃən/
- /ˈkɹɪstiən/
- /ˈkɹɪst͡ʃən/
Christian has 2 syllables, split Chris·tian in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-Christian.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with christian
Sounds like: Cristian (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of christian
- christians plural
- more christian comparative
- most christian superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does christian mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Uncommon spelling of Christian.
noun
- 1
A believer in Christianity.
The whole life of a good Christian is nothing else but a state of holy desire (sanctum desiderium).
- 2
nonstandardAn adherent of Christianity who is not a Catholic; a Protestant.
- 3
A person who seeks to live his or her life according to the principles and values taught by Jesus Christ.
Ye lyfe of euery christian, is as a pilgremage.
- 4
obsoleteA European, especially though not necessarily of the Christian religion.
adjective
- 1
Of, like or relating to Christianity or Christians.
- 2
nonstandardOf, like or relating to Protestant Christians.
- 3
Of, like or relating to Jesus Christ.
- 4
Kind, charitable; moral; a term of approbation.
That’s very Christian of you.
adjective
- 1
Uncommon spelling of Christian.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Christian in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | chrétien, chrétienne |
| German | Christ, Christin , christlich |
| Portuguese | cristão, cristã |
| Spanish | cristiano, cristiana |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does christian come from?
From Middle English Cristien, from Old French chrestien, from Latin Chrīstiānus, from Ancient Greek Χρῑστιᾱνός (Khrīstiānós), from Χρῑστός (Khrīstós, “Christ, anointed [one]”) + Latin suffix -ānus. The older form is Christen. Doublet of cretin. By surface analysis, Christ + -ian.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).