--- title: "Testimonial or testimony: which word do you use?" url: https://reviewnudge.app/guides/testimonial-or-testimony/ published: 2026-10-20 updated: 2026-10-20 author: "Jack Stovell" author_profile: https://i.hilyt.it/jack publisher: "Adapt Progress Evolve Limited" summary: "A testimony is a statement that something is true, usually evidence given in court or an account of religious experience. A testimonial is someone's statement praising a business, product or person, so a customer quote on your website is a testimonial." language: en-GB --- # Testimonial or testimony: which word do you use? > A testimony is a statement that something is true, usually evidence given in court or an account of religious experience. A testimonial is someone's statement praising a business, product or person, so a customer quote on your website is a testimonial. Short answer: if someone is praising you, it's a testimonial. If someone is stating what happened, it's testimony. The rest of this page shows the difference with business examples, plus the few places where "testimony" does fit a business. ## The short answer: testimonial for customers, testimony for evidence The two words share a root, which is why people mix them up. You see "testimony" in a courtroom drama or on a church noticeboard, then see "testimonials" under a photo of a smiling plumber, and assume one is the posh version of the other. They do different jobs. A quick test works almost every time. Ask whether the person is praising or reporting. Praise is a testimonial. A report of what happened is testimony. ## What testimony means (courts, witnesses and faith settings) Cambridge Dictionary defines testimony as spoken or written statements that something is true, especially those given in a law court. The legal meaning is narrower. Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute (writing about US law) describes it as oral or written evidence given by a witness under oath, affidavit or deposition, during a trial or other legal procedure. The weight sits on truth and proof. A witness isn't there to say nice things. They're there to say what they saw. There is also a faith meaning. Merriam-Webster lists testimony as "a public profession of religious experience". It's still a personal account, and it still isn't a sales line. One phrase does fit a business. Cambridge gives "be (a) testimony to something", meaning clear proof of it. "Our waiting list is testimony to how busy the summer was" is perfectly good English. ## What a testimonial means (customer praise and references) Merriam-Webster defines a testimonial as "a statement testifying to benefits received". That's your customer saying, in their own words, what you did for them and how it went. Cambridge's own example sentence is "Click here to read testimonials from some of our customers", which is exactly the website use. The word has older meanings too. Merriam-Webster gives "a character reference" or "letter of recommendation", and Cambridge describes a formal written description of someone's character given by a previous employer. In British English, a testimonial can also be a match played to honour a famous footballer and raise money for them. ## Testimonial or testimony: side-by-side examples Here's how the two words look in a business setting. - **A customer writes:** "They fitted the kitchen on schedule and left the place spotless." That's a **testimonial**. It praises you, and you'd happily put it on your website. - **A customer sends a long email about a late delivery**, saying who they spoke to and what they were told at each stage. That's closer to **testimony**: an account of events. If the complaint went to a formal process, they might be asked for a written statement of what happened. It isn't praise, and you wouldn't call it a testimonial. - **A former manager writes that a job candidate is reliable and good with clients.** That's a **testimonial** in the reference sense, though most people now say "reference". - **A witness at an employment tribunal describes what they saw in the office.** That's **testimony**. - **"Twenty years of repeat bookings is testimony to the team."** That's **testimony** in the "proof of something" sense. It works in an About page. ## Which word should your website use? Use testimonial for customer quotes. Headings like "Testimonials", "What our customers say" or "Kind words" all work. For more options, see the list of [testimonial synonyms](/guides/testimonial-synonyms/). Avoid headings like "Our customers' testimonies". It reads oddly, and it makes happy customers sound like witnesses in a case. ## Is a testimonial the same as a review? They overlap. A review usually sits on a platform such as Google or Trustpilot, where the customer writes what they like and you don't control how it's shown. A testimonial is a quote you've collected and chosen to show on your own site, in a card, a leaflet or a slide. Because you choose what goes on show, testimonials carry more responsibility. There's more on how the two compare in [what is a testimonial](/blog/what-is-a-testimonial/). ## Keep testimonials genuine: what the UK rules expect A testimonial has to be a real customer's own words. Don't write one yourself, don't invent a customer, and don't edit a quote until it says something the customer never said. The UK rules on fake and misleading reviews reach your own website as well as the platforms. The CMA's short guide for businesses applies to any trader that publishes consumer reviews or review information, from any source, including on websites and social media. So a testimonials page or a "what our customers say" strip can be in scope. Since April 2025 the law has banned fake reviews, hiding that a review was incentivised, and publishing reviews in a misleading way, such as giving positive reviews more prominence than negative ones. The [guide to fake reviews and UK law](/guides/fake-reviews-uk-law/) sets out what the law says and what publishers are expected to do. The short version is simple: a real customer, their real words, and no rewards for saying nice things. ## Next steps: write or collect your first testimonial 1. **Ask.** Plenty of customers will say yes if you simply ask. [How to ask for a testimonial](/guides/how-to-ask-for-a-testimonial/) gives you the wording. 2. **Help them get specific.** If a customer agrees but doesn't know what to write, send them the pointers in [how to write a testimonial](/guides/how-to-write-a-testimonial/). Specific details like the job, the timing and the result read better than general praise. 3. **Get their OK, then publish.** Once you have their words and their permission, the free [testimonial card maker](/tools/testimonial-generator/) turns the quote into a card for your site or social posts. ## Questions people ask ### What is the difference between a testimony and a testimonial? Testimony is a spoken or written statement that something is true, especially evidence given in a law court. A testimonial is a statement praising a business, product or person, such as a customer quote on your website or a reference letter. ### What do you mean by testimonial? Merriam-Webster defines a testimonial as a statement testifying to benefits received. In business, it is a real customer saying in their own words what you did for them and how it went. ### What is an example of a testimonial? "They fitted the kitchen on schedule and left the place spotless." It is short and specific, and it is a customer's own words about a job they paid for. ### What does testimony mean? Cambridge Dictionary defines testimony as spoken or written statements that something is true, especially those given in a law court. In legal use, it is evidence given by a witness under oath, by affidavit or by deposition. ### Can I call customer quotes on my website testimonies? You can, but it reads oddly. Testimony suggests evidence or a sworn account. For praise from customers, testimonial is the standard word and the one visitors expect to see. ## Sources - [Cambridge Dictionary: testimony](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/testimony) - [Cambridge Dictionary: testimonial](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/testimonial) - [Merriam-Webster: testimonial](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/testimonial) - [Merriam-Webster: testimony](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/testimony) - [Cornell Law School LII, Wex: testimony](https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/testimony) - [CMA: Short guide for businesses publishing consumer reviews, GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fake-reviews/short-guide-for-businesses-publishing-consumer-reviews-and-complying-with-consumer-protection-law)