knee jerk
adjective, noun
knee jerk is spelled K-N-E-E-J-E-R-K: 8 letters. As an adjective, knee jerk means “Alternative form of knee-jerk” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in knee jerk?
| Letters | 8: K-N-E-E-J-E-R-K |
|---|---|
| In writing | a phrase: the frequency list counts single words |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce knee jerk?
- US
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-knee-jerk.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with knee jerk
Also written: kneejerk (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of knee jerk
- more knee-jerk comparative
- most knee-jerk superlative
- kneejerk
- knee-jerks plural
- more knee jerk comparative
- most knee jerk superlative
- knee jerks plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does knee jerk mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Alternative form of knee-jerk.
adjective
- 1
Unthinking, not carefully considered, (nearly) automatic, spontaneous, easily predictable.
He gave a knee-jerk response.
noun
- 1
A sudden reflexive movement of the leg below the knee, as a reaction to a tap to the tendon just below the patella (kneecap).
noun
- 1
Alternative form of knee-jerk.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Knee jerk in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | prévisible |
| German | reflexartig, vorhersehbar, automatisch , Kniereflex, Kniesehnenreflex, Patellarreflex |
| Spanish | impulsivo, visceral , reflejo rotuliano |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does knee jerk come from?
From knee + jerk, First attested c. 1876, and derived from a figurative sense of the patellar reflex.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).