Know-how

[noːˈhaʊ̯]

/[noːˈhaʊ̯]/ noun

The verdict

“Know-how” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - das Wissen, wie man etwas macht

Corpus desk

Index DE-know-how · Know-how · German

Know-how · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "K" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for Know-how
PropertyValue
HeadwordKnow-how
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[noːˈhaʊ̯]
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Know-how“ im Deutschen

Know-howschafft es nicht in die Top 100.000 des Deutschen: Zone für Fach-, Alt- oder Seltenwortschatz.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Know-how is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [noːˈhaʊ̯]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "das Wissen, wie man etwas macht".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for Know-how, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct German form is Know-how, spelled K-N-O-W---H-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    das Wissen, wie man etwas macht

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Know-how appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Wenn dir das entsprechende Know-how fehlt, musst du zu diesem Thema noch eine Schulung machen.
  2. „Ihnen fielen die Produktionsstätten und teilweise das Know-how der mächtigen deutschen Konkurrenz praktisch in den Schoß.“

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Know-how"?
"Know-how" is spelled K-N-O-W---H-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is [noːˈhaʊ̯].
What does "Know-how" mean?
As a noun, "Know-how" means: das Wissen, wie man etwas macht
How do you pronounce "Know-how"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Know-how" is [noːˈhaʊ̯]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Know-how" come from?
"Know-how" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list