knave

/neɪv/

//neɪv// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"knave" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“knave” is uncommon English (frequency #53,050 among 1,236 “K” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,050
frequency rank, English
1,236
“K” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A boy; especially, a boy servant.

Corpus desk

Index EN-knave · knave · English

knave · rank #53,050 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #53,050
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH kneecap

Nearest frequency peer: kneecap (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

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.

Long-tail ranks near “knave”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “knave” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for knave
PropertyValue
Headwordknave
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/neɪv/
Letters5
Frequency rank#53,050
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “knave” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).knavefalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “kneecap” (#53,051), “Kiribati” (#53,048), “Knowlton” (#53,052). Among 1,236 “K” headwords, “knave” is #53,050. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

knave is uncommon English at frequency #53,050 among 1,236 “K” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /neɪv/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

knave doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English knave, knafe, from Old English cnafa (“child, boy, youth; servant”), from Proto-West Germanic *knabō. Cognate to Dutch knaap and German Knabe. The correct English form is knave, spelled K-N-A-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A boy; especially, a boy servant.
  2. 2
    Any male servant; a menial.
  3. 3
    A tricky, deceitful fellow; a dishonest person.
  4. 4
    A playing card marked with the figure of a servant or a soldier.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Many a duteous and knee-crooking knave that, doting on his own obsequious bondage, wears out his time, much like his master's ass, For naught but provender, and when he's old – cashier'd! Whip me such honest knaves.
  2. I could plainly diſcover from whence one Family derives a long Chin; why a ſecond hath abounded with Knaves for two Generations, and Fools for two more; why a third happened to be crack-brained, and a fourth to be Sharpers.

Etymology

From Middle English knave, knafe, from Old English cnafa (“child, boy, youth; servant”), from Proto-West Germanic *knabō. Cognate to Dutch knaap and German Knabe.

This word in other languages

paje(Español)page(Français)Knabe(Deutsch)pajem(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "knave"?
"knave" is spelled K-N-A-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /neɪv/.
What does "knave" mean?
As a noun, "knave" means: A boy; especially, a boy servant.
How do you pronounce "knave"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "knave" is /neɪv/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "knave"?
From Middle English knave, knafe, from Old English cnafa (“child, boy, youth; servant”), from Proto-West Germanic *knabō. Cognate to Dutch knaap and German Knabe. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "knave", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Kogan#53,054Karna#53,044mange#53,087Marca#53,089

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list