# knell vs knew

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### knell
*verb · IPA /nɛl/ · frequency rank #47,718*
To ring a bell slowly, especially for a funeral; to toll.

### knew
*verb · IPA /ˈnjuː/ · frequency rank #635*
simple past of know

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/knell-vs-knew