When we use word to believe

• #1

Could you please tell me which one is more stronger, «believe» or «trust»? I mean which includes other one in itself? Thanks.

• #2

Could you please tell me which one is more stronger, «believe» or «trust»? I mean which includes other one in itself? Thanks.

I «believe» this has been discussed before in the forum.
They are used in different ways, there’s no one stronger than the other, I’m afraid.

Oh, welcome to the forum (sorry, I didn’t notice it)

Edit: You can find the thread if you look up any one of them in WR dictionary.

• #3

Okay, I checked the thread, and there’s not much there…..
So I’ll try my best, but this is really a difficult question (oh, I’m so going to regret this)

To me, «to trust» bears the meaning of having confidence in someone’s personality.
—I trust him to be an honorable man.
And «to believe» is more used in individual events.
—I believe that he did it for some reason.

BUT, but when you are refering to something spiritual, please use «believe in»
—I believe in God.

However, I think in many cases they can both be used. (you can actually find «believe» in the definition of ‘trust» in the WR dictionary, and vice versa)

Edit: Ha! I know you are still confused, but I did try my best, sorry

• #4

Thanks a lot.
You gave a good example. That was exactly what we were discussing on. ‘Believe in God’ or «Trust in God». USD banknotes have «In God we trust» on them.
My friends say believers however don’t believe in God, they trust! So I liked to know whether «trust or believe» is better way to express your relationship with God. If you use «trust» does it show you believe in and rely on God or the word «believe» contains «trust» in it.

• #5

Thanks a lot.
You gave a good example. That was exactly what we were discussing on. ‘Believe in God’ or «Trust in God». USD banknotes have «In God we trust» on them.
My friends say believers however don’t believe in God, they trust! So I liked to know whether «trust or believe» is better way to express your relationship with God. If you use «trust» does it show you believe in and rely on God or the word «believe» contains «trust» in it.

I copy the following from WR dictionary:
1 believe in
have a firm conviction as to the goodness of something; «John believes in oat bran»

And when I tried ‘trust in», there’s no match.

I still think it’s «I believe in God», but maybe others will have better ideas.

• #6

Welcome to the forums, exit!

If you don’t trust a person, are you likely to believe everything that person says?

Please note that trust and believe are not the same as trust in and believe in.

• #7

I might believe in God but not trust in him. To believe in him is to believe that he exists, to trust in him is to have confidence he will deal squarely with you and look after you. Of course if you don’t believe in him, you can’t trust in him.

• #8

Thank you all. I see it changes mostly due to the context it is used in. But I think «believe in» should be used with «God».

• #9

To trust is to feel that someone or something will act in a certain way. Or that someone or something will be on your side.

To believe is to feel sure that something is true. Unless they are in denial, people act on what they believe.

• #10

Hi all,

I’ve read past threads about the difference in meaning between «believe» and «trust»: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=533443 and http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=355114, which are helpful.

And yet, I’m still not sure if there is a rule of thumb about when to use «believe» or «trust».

Is there such a rule of thumb? I’m asking this partly because there are cases where «believe» and «trust» seem to be interchangeable as in «Believe me when I say that …» and «Trust me when I say that…». (Correct me if I’m wrong.)

If possible, could you give me specific examples about when to use «believe», when to use «trust» and when they are interchangeable?

Note: I understand the difference between «believe» and «believe in», so you don’t have to explain it in this thread unless you think it necessary.

Thanks.

• #11

I say they are interchangeable in your above examples (obviously they are not always interchangeable in general). Some people will probably find potential differences in meaning, but in practice, I don’t think there are any: it’s unlikely that many listeners will catch any difference.

• #12

Thanks Matching Mole. I appreciate your help.

I think I should’ve mentioned much more clearly that my example is just to illustrate a case where they are almost interchangeable and that what I really want to know is if there is a rule of thumb about when to use «believe» or «trust», possibly with some examples.

Is there such a rule of thumb?

I mean, for instance, it seems to me that when it comes to business deals, «trust» seems to be more likely used, while when it comes to spiritual things, «believe» seems to be favored. Is my assumption correct? Are there exceptions? How about other areas? Is there a «rule» or tendency about when to use which?

• #13

Trust is something you do when you act as a consequence of belief.

I believe you when you say you can carry me across the rope.

I trust you when we set off across the rope with me on your back.

I believe that you can drive a car.
I trust you when I let you drive my car.

• #14

You’ll probably be safe most of the time to use «trust» for people, and «believe» for what people say.

Believe what I say. You can trust me.

However, it’s true that the words ‘believe / trust’ are interchangeable in those two sentences. So, hm.

The only example I can think of offhand, where the words are clearly different, is:

Believe in God.

Trust in God.

The words mean different things there.

• #15

The only example I can think of offhand, where the words are clearly different, is:

Believe in God.

Trust in God.

The words mean different things there.

True — but «to believe in » and «to trust in» something/one are effectively different verbs from «to believe» or «to trust» something/one.

• #16

Thanks guys. I appreciate your help.

• #17

Hi everyone,

Believe me/trust me, any differences between these two phrases?

thanks a lot.

• #18

I’d say that:

«Believe me» = «This is true. I am not lying.»

Whereas:

«Trust me» = «I have your best interests at heart. I won’t let you down. Even if I’m not being honest now, it is for the right reasons.»

Last Updated:
11 Apr 2023
— Updated example sentences

Video Transcript
Section 1
Hey there I’m Emma from mmmEnglish! There are many different ways to express a single idea in English and these verbs are a good example of that.

• think
• supposed
• believe
• anticipate
• predict

Knowing the subtle differences and understanding how to use each of these verbs accurately and naturally is a really good sign of the difference between an intermediate student and an advanced English speaker because these verbs can all be used in really similar situations, they’re synonyms.

I suppose it can be confusing to know when and how to use them. I think you know what I mean, right?

But I believe that by the end of watching this video you’ll be clear on how to use all of them correctly. I anticipate you’ll have some questions but I’ll do my best to answer as many of them as I can.

I predict that by the time we get to the mini quiz at the end, you’ll have no trouble at all. Let’s go!

1. think

Of all of these verbs, ‘think’ is the one I’m certain you know and you feel comfortable using. Suppose, believe, anticipate, predict, they can all be synonyms of think.

And think has quite a few meanings as well. It can be used in phrasal verbs and other expressions but if we focus on the meaning that is similar to the verbs we’ve been talking about, then think means to feel that something is true, based on facts or knowledge that you have.

So we use it to take an educated guess.

• I think it’s going to be a hot day tomorrow.

So I’m making a guess and it’s based on the weather that we’ve had in previous days this week and maybe I’ve seen the weather report so I’m not a hundred per cent confident that it’s going to be hot but I’m using the information that I have to make that guess.

And by using think, we’re communicating that we’re unsure. We’re not a hundred per cent certain right? If I was certain then I would say:

• It will be a hot day tomorrow. I think we need to turn left but I’m a bit lost.

Now if you’re a regular student of mine, then you’ll know that I’m often talking about how important collocations are and even with simple verbs like think, it’s often the words that are used with it where my students make mistakes.

So collocations are words that are commonly used together in naturally spoken English.

(to) think of (someone) or (something)

And with the verb think, the preposition of is often used. When we think of something or someone, we’re remembering them and often keeping their needs or their happiness in mind.

Our neighbour is always thinking of us and dropping home-baked goodies on our doorstep.

If I think of someone as something then I have a specific opinion about them.

• I always thought of him as a great athlete.
• I’ve always thought of myself as a city person but I really enjoyed the peace and quiet of the farm.

(to) think about (someone) or (something)

If you think about something, then you’re carefully considering it right? You’re weighing up different options to make a decision.

• I know I said I’d make the offer by the end of the week but I need more time to think about it. It’s a tough decision.

Quick note. It is much more natural when you’re showing appreciation to someone to say: Thanks for thinking of me.
Rather than: Thanks for thinking about me.

2. suppose

I suppose you’ve heard this verb before but I wonder if you are completely confident in how to use it.

We use the verb suppose when you generally believe or you think that something is true or possible but you’re not completely sure.

So of course, that sounds very similar to the definition of think, right? Let’s look at an example.

• I suppose he’s going to show up late again. He always does.
• I think he’s going to show up again. He always does.

So both of these examples are correct. You can use each of these verbs like this but there is a subtle difference. Think is just a little bit more certain like you feel that you are right whereas suppose suggests that you’re not quite convinced of your own feelings. Maybe you have some information, enough to take a guess but you don’t really have any solid proof.

And when you’re using think, well you might also have some information that helps you feel more confident about your feelings. Maybe someone has said to you that they hadn’t seen him in the office all day. Maybe he regularly turns up late so you’re using the information that you’ve got to confidently take a guess. When you’re using suppose, it puts your feelings in a little more doubt.

Now you can also use suppose when you are being sarcastic when you think that something is true or correct but you’re not really happy about it.

I suppose I should finish my homework before I come over.

You can also say “I suppose so” as a way to agree with someone and again to show that you have some doubts or maybe that you’re not loving the idea.

• Could you help me to edit this report by the end of the day?
  I suppose so.

3. believe

We use believe when we have an opinion that something is true or that what someone is saying is true. But it doesn’t have to be an opinion based on fact, it can simply be something that you feel is true.

• I believe that we’ll find the right person for the job. We can’t give up yet.

So again, it’s a synonym of think right? So the differences are really subtle but like the verb suppose, when we use believe, it does sound a little less certain.

However it is a verb that has power like you trust in your instinct. You feel that you’re correct but perhaps you don’t have the evidence to support it but you do have your faith or trust that it will be.

Now believe is a verb that can be used and is often used in the passive voice.

We say: It is believed that…

And you’ll often hear the adverb widely used as well.

It is widely believed that…

and that’s to emphasise that it’s thought to be true by many people.

So we use the passive voice when we don’t know or maybe we don’t want to say who believes that so it’s a really great sort of collocation, chunk of words to learn and practise using together.

4. anticipate

Now we use the verb anticipate when we think that something will probably happen so you believe that something is coming in the future. You can’t anticipate that something has happened in the past or the present, we anticipate the future, right?

• We anticipate our sales will triple by next year.

So if I say that: I believe our sales will triple, it’s just my own personal opinion or my feelings right?

However, if I use the verb anticipate well then I usually have some kind of information or facts to back that up. I’ve got reasons to believe that something is going to happen in the future.

And when we anticipate something, we usually prepare ourselves to deal with it too. We know or we think that we know that something is coming so we can prepare for that moment or that event in the future.

• I anticipated the test would be difficult so I studied extra hard.
• It’s a good thing that we anticipated such a large crowd and provided the extra parking.

5. predict

And last but not least, we use the verb predict which is actually quite similar to anticipate because we use predict to guess or to explain what we think will happen in the future before it actually does happen.

But the very subtle difference is that we use anticipate when the event that will happen in the future is going to happen at a specific time and we usually use predict when the event will happen further into the future or we don’t know what time it’s going to happen.

Scientists predict that machines will be quicker in learning and predicting the future than humans!

But we could equally say: We anticipate that machines will be quicker and faster at learning than humans by next year.

Now remember that in many situations, you could use several of these verbs correctly but the meaning of each of those sentences would be slightly different.

Let’s just look at a comparison.

1. She believes that 2021 will be a great year.
2. She predicts that 2021 will be a great year.
3. She thinks that 2021 will be a great year.
4. She anticipates that 2021 will be a great year.
5. She supposes that 2021 will be a great year.

So all of these sentences make sense but there are some really subtle differences.

In the first example, by using the verb believe, well it doesn’t sound very factual right? She well it doesn’t sound very factual right? She might not have much information to back up that belief but she has faith, she has the feeling that 2021 is going to be great.

So in the second example, she not only believes but she’s told someone that she believes. She’s announced her belief, right?

In the third example, if she thinks that 2021 will be great then she’s formed that opinion based on some information. Maybe she’s considered some facts or some ideas right? We know that coronavirus vaccine is coming right so we think next year is going to be better.

When we use anticipate, well we can assume that she’s planning for 2021 to be great. She’s based her belief on some information and she’s organising or she’s preparing everything to make that happen.

In this example, think and anticipate can be used pretty interchangeably but anticipate is definitely a more advanced way of expressing that idea. It also suggests more specific and more formal language.

And lastly, well she’s got some doubts about 2021 being great. She’s not sure. The facts and the ideas, maybe they suggest that it’s gonna be great but she’s not totally convinced so she’s really expressing her doubt by using the word suppose. I suppose it’s gonna be good.

All right as always, we’ve got a little quiz to help you test what you’ve learned. Are you ready to get started? I’ve got some sentences for you for the space.

Don’t forget that you need to change the form of the verb to make sure that the sentence is correct so that might mean conjugating the verb so the grammar’s accurate. Most of these examples are really common expressions or collocations where one verb fits better than the others so think about the meaning and the intention of that verb first and look for clues in the prepositions and words around that verb, those collocations.

1. We’re not _____ any major issues will be raised at the meeting tomorrow.
Anticipating is correct.

2. Everybody likes her and _____ highly of her.
Now the clue is here. Thinks.

3. If you had asked me to ________ how I would spend the year 2020 last year, I would have been wrong.
Predict.

4. Since you have been so good today, I _______ we can stop for ice cream on the way home.
Suppose.

5. After watching a few sci-fi documentaries, he now ______ in aliens.

So again, look at that preposition for a clue. Believe, you’re right.

So how did you do? Tell me down in the comments especially if any of them were quite challenging for you and can you think of any other synonyms of the word think?

If you can, share them down in the comments below, there are definitely a few more to explore. I love that you have stuck with me all the way through to the end of the lesson and you’ve done the hard work. You’re awesome! Well done.

And if you haven’t subscribed to the mmmEnglish channel yet, well hit that button down there and do it. You don’t want to miss out on any more lessons right? Speaking of more lessons, we’ve got one pronunciation lesson right here ready to go. Let’s do it!

Belief-thats are used to make claims. We learned in previous sections how scientists and skeptics evaluate claims. If a claim meets the definitions of ‘fact’, ‘law’, or ‘theory’, then the claim becomes knowledge. Such claims are tough to dispute within rules of logic and argumentation. In fact, arguments over belief-thats are settled when the evidence is clear. Those who cling to belief-thats which have been falsified by scientific evidence are practicing pseudoscience. Those who believe-that a scientifically accepted proposition is false are called denialists.The differences can seem subtle, but are actually distinct. It can get sticky when deciding when a belief is actually a belief-in or a belief-that. For instance, one could say, “Sam believes in auras”. This is actually a believe-that statement, because (assuming that Sam is honest and has stated so) Sam actually does believe in auras. Sam’s conviction about auras is a believe-in statement, because no amount of empirical evidence could support or refute it. Similarly, the statement, “Joe believes in Socialism” is likely a true statement about Joe and is useful information for predicting Joe’s behavior. This is a belief-that. When Joe states, “I believe in socialism”, he is expressing his belief-in.

It may take some getting used to but classifying belief statements can be eye-opening and put things in perspective. Try it.

‘In’ and ‘That’, Is and Ought, Faith and Claims

In the Philosophy and Science section, the distinction between «is« and «ought« was made. Science is our best tool to tell us what is (and what isn’t) so. We use philosophy to decide what we ought to do. The Philosophy of Science defines what is in a scientific sense, and states that we ought to use this knowledge to inform our decisions (of what we ought to do). Philosophical systems themselves are not scientific. As above, we cannot argue over moral systems such as Deontology and Consequentialism on empirical grounds. However, both of these philosophical systems need information to work; and the best information is produced by science.

Belief-thats are empirical claims. They are statements about what is. Assuming that such a claim is supported by evidence, a belief-that can inform our decisions about what we ought to do.

Trouble comes when one confuses a belief-in for a belief-that. Belief-ins are fine in-and-of-themselves, but they must be used with extreme caution to inform our decisions, especially when dealing with people who do not share the particular belief-in. Decisions based on belief-ins should spark skepticism. To ask, “Why should we do that?” is to ask for evidence and reason.

Some people believe in mysterious energies or life-forces that connect us with greater realities. Fine. These claims cannot be empirical. There is no evidence for such claims. Belief-in holders can maintain this belief-in without evidence. However, the moment that a so-called healer claims that diseases are caused by disruptions in these energies, AND that we can cure disease with procedures that influence their flow, the belief-in becomes a belief-that. By making an empirically testable statement, it becomes a claim. Claims that may influence one’s decisions about health and disease management are potentially dangerous. Belief-thats are scientific statements and, like all scientific claims, mandate skepticism. That is how science works.

That is not to say that belief-ins can never influence policy. Among competent, like-minded adults within a common belief system, belief-ins may influence policy. We, in the “free world”, value democracy. In the United States, we have a constitution that spells out the ground rules of how belief-in democracy should be used to establish our society. Of course, it is open to interpretation, but the concept holds true. The majority of people in the “free world” want to live under a democracy, and therefore work hard to maintain it. The argument for such a system is a bit circular, but we support democracy nonetheless. Democracy is an important belief-in.

Catholics believe in the sacredness of the communion host after it is blessed. This is a belief-in. Those within the belief system have decided that blessed hosts should be treated respectfully and according to doctrinal rules. To do otherwise would be to reject the belief-in, which most Catholics would not want to do (here again, we see hints of circular reasoning). This particular belief-in should not be mistaken for a belief-that. No scientific claims are being made.

An outspoken biologist pointed to this belief-in and demanded that we challenge Catholics in the name of reason by saying, “Are you seriously telling me you believe that? Are you seriously saying that wine turns into blood?» Mock them! Ridicule them! In public!” However, such a statement reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of beliefs. Most Catholics would feel their intelligence insulted by such a statement, and rightly so. With introspection, most reasonable Catholics would likely respond that they do not believe that the host turns into flesh and wine turns into blood. But they believe in the notion. This may seem like a subtle difference, but it is not. Misunderstanding the difference leads to conflict. By making the fundamental error of confusing this belief-in with a belief-that, the biologist will get nothing but scorn and contempt by the belief-in holders (and even from those non-Catholic humanists who are sensitive to human emotions).

It gets tricky though. The statement, “Catholics believe in the sacredness of the host” is an empirically true statement. It can be used to predict (accurately) what would happen if someone were to disrespect the host. Therefore, one can use this fact to inform their decision as to whether they ought to “mock them” or to disrespect the object of the belief-in.

As we have learned, belief-ins are not reasoned. They are convictions that come from within, and disrespecting such a belief-in will not change the minds of the belief-in holders. Doing so can only cause negative emotions and often leads belief-in holders to actually strengthen their positions. Thus, we have empiric knowledge that should inform our decision to be respectful to this belief system.

However, we should challenge belief-thats.

If a believer advises a parent to forego antibiotics for their child’s pneumonia in favor of a blessed host (or some other object of belief), then a line is crossed. The belief-in becomes a belief-that. In this case, it is entirely appropriate to pose the challenge, “Do you seriously believe that?” It may be life-saving. This is what critical thinking is all about. (Of course, we should pose such challenges with respect and in such a way that would likely predict positive responses. Psychology is a science after all. There is documented evidence to support productive approaches to such challenges.)

Faith is a belief-in. Faith-healing is a belief-that. Respect one, challenge the other.

Some —notably politicians, clergy and conservative talk show hosts— claim to “believe that” contraception is sinful. They get enraged at the notion of contraception being covered by health insurance They state vehemently that we ought not to let this happen. However, the belief is not supported by empirical evidence. The ‘evidence’ comes from their intuitions and emotions. Therefore, this belief is not a belief-that, but rather a belief-in. It is not shared by people outside of their group. Once we realize this distinction, their arguments fall apart because the premises have no basis in fact.

Science is a Belief-in and a Belief-that

We learned in the Philosophy and Science section about Hume’s ‘Problem of Induction’.

Inductive reasoning cannot be justified logically, for any attempts to do so would necessarily have to appeal to inductive reasoning. Science inherently depends on induction, so science itself cannot be justified logically. Yet, we believe in it. Such a basic belief is really a belief-in and not a belief-that. Supporters of non-scientific medicine, pseudoscientists and denialists may point to the problem of induction to discredit science. Doing so, however, prevents them from backing up any claims of their own through induction (see You Can’t Have It Both Ways). Thus it is inescapable that we have to believe-in science. We also believe-that science is the best way to obtain reliable knowledge to inform our decisions.

The word belief leads to many heated debates because it is poorly defined. We need to clarify what we really mean when we use this word. Perhaps we would be better off separating the word into two distinct entities: belief-in and belief-that, as proposed by H.H.Price.

** Some ideas are not empirical and are not meant to be empirical. They are felt emotionally or instinctively. Such ideas are not meant to be testable, such as philosophical ideas about ‘the meaning of life’ or ‘why we are here’. These are not scientific ideas and people can hold them if they like. Arguments for their merits tend to be circular, and therefore unproductive. If no claims are being made, there is no point in challenging them. We may refer to such beliefs as belief-ins.

** Ideas that are taken as factual or mechanistic, such that they can be used to make real world predictions, represent a different kind of belief. We may refer to them as belief-thats, or claims. Claims require evidence. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. They are fair game for criticism by way of experimentation, logic, reason. Those not familiar with the tools of skepticism and science may be easily fooled into believing-that a bogus claim is true. Arming one’s self with skepticism to differentiate legitimate from erroneous claims is what this site is all about.

However, before embarking in a heated and potentially damaging argument, we should recognize the difference between belief-ins and belief-thats. Arguing the first is futile and damaging. Arguing the second could be lifesaving.

John Byrne, M.D.

верить, полагать, думать, веровать, доверять, придавать большое значение

глагол ↓

Словосочетания

to believe in destiny — верить в судьбу  
to give (smb.) to believe, know, note, understand — дать знать, дать понять (кому-л.)  
to believe in ghosts — верить в призраков, верить в привидения  
to believe that the moon is made of green / cream cheese — верить небылицам  
they who believe — те, которые верят  
believe it or not — хотите верьте, хотите нет  
to believe wrongly — ошибочно предполагать  
good cause to believe — достаточное основание для предположения  
probable cause to believe — достаточное основание для предположения  
reasonable cause to believe — достаточное основание для предположения  

Примеры с переводом

Возможные однокоренные слова

disbelieve  — не верить, не доверять, сомневаться, быть неверующим, быть скептиком
misbelieve  — заблуждаться, впадать в ересь
believable  — вероятный
believer  — верующий, сторонник, защитник

Формы слова

verb
I/you/we/they: believe
he/she/it: believes
ing ф. (present participle): believing
2-я ф. (past tense): believed
3-я ф. (past participle): believed

/ October 14, 2019/ Usage

What’s the Difference Between Believes and Beliefs?

Believes and beliefs have similar meanings, spellings, and pronunciations. However, each word has a different part of speech. Therefore, it is important not to mix up the two.

Believes is a the third person singular conjugation of the verb believe, which means to think, or have faith, that something is true without having proof.

• My toddler still believes in ghosts.

Beliefs is the plural form of the noun belief. It simply refers to something that people believe, or in other words, something that people think is true.

• Many Christians hold similar beliefs to Muslims, although they may not know it.

Now, let’s go over a few ways to use these words correctly.

Using Believes in a Sentence

When to use believes: Believes is a conjugation of the verb believe. It only appears in the simple present tense, after a singular third person subject such as he, she, or it. It means to think something is real or true. It often appears in the context of religious faith, superstitions, or things people think are probably true but aren’t completely sure.

For example,

• Suzy believes in God.
• Christopher believes in Santa Claus.
• I believe it might rain later tonight.

When someone wants to use believe to show that they think someone or something exists, they usually follow the word with the preposition in. In is not necessary if the word following believe acts as the subject of a second clause.

Using Beliefs in a Sentence

When to use beliefs: A belief is something that someone thinks is true. The plural form adds s.

For example,

• Most religions consist of a set of common beliefs that the worshippers share.
• Beliefs and superstitions regarding the unluckiness of black cats cause the poor animals to experience heightened instances of abuse.

The reason that most people accidentally write beliefs as believes is because many nouns that end in f change the f to v or ve in the plural form. Examples of this include leaf/leaves, wolf/wolves, and scarf/scarves amongst others.

Remembering Believes vs. Beliefs

There are two easy ways to remember which word to use and when.

First, like most other regular third person singular verbs, just add s to believe. Like most other regular nouns, just add s to belief.

However, it is possible that you get confused because of the other nouns that end in f that change the f to v in the plural form. If this is the case, you can use the second piece of information. Many nouns that end in f, that also have two vowels in a row preceding that f, do not change the f to v. These include roof/roofs, chief/chiefs, and oaf/oafs. Of course, this isn’t true for all words. One notable exception is loaf/loaves. However, the fact that chief doesn’t change to chieves could help, since chief and belief share the last three letters.

Outside Examples

• Batiste says that Colbert believes his show is a service to the community. –New York Daily News
• IN CASE you had forgotten, this is what decency and common sense sound like: “I believe the women.” –The Washington Post
• “I’m fine where I’m at right now. Ain’t nothing wrong with feeling bad for what you believe in. What’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong. I stand behind my beliefs.’’ –New York Post
• Morgan Freeman is host and executive producer of ‘The Story of God’ on National Geographic Channel, which takes viewers all over the world on a quest to understand a wide variety of religious beliefs and practices. –Houston Chronicle

Quiz: Believes vs. Beliefs

Instructions: Fill in the blanks with the correct word, either believes or beliefs.

• I told him that his wife is cheating on him, but he never ____________ me.
• Your teaching ________________ are part of what make you a good teacher.
• She always talks to her tomato plants because she _____________ it makes them produce juicer fruit.

See answers below.

Article Summary

Should I use believes or beliefs? These words are similar but have different parts of speech. Therefore, grammatically speaking, they cannot be interchanged.

• Believes is a verb meaning to suppose something or to think something is credible.
• Beliefs is the noun form of believe. It means something one thinks seems likely or something one has faith is true.

If you get confused between these two words, just remove the s to make it more clear which one is the verb and which is the noun.

Answers

• believes
• beliefs
• believes