kneel
/niːl/verb
kneel is spelled K-N-E-E-L: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,209th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, kneel means “To rest on one's bent knees, sometimes only one; to move to such a position” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in kneel?
| Letters | 5: K-N-E-E-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.7 times per million words; the 21,209th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is kneel?
Kneel appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,209th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce kneel?
- /niːl/
- /kniːl/
Kneel has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-kneel.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with kneel
Sounds like: Neil, Niel (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of kneel
- kneels present, singular, he/she/it
- kneeling participle, present
- knelt participle, past
- kneeled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does kneel mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To rest on one's bent knees, sometimes only one; to move to such a position.
- 2
To sink down so that the entrance is level with the pavement, making it easier for passengers to enter.
- 3
To cause to kneel.
She knelt the doll to fit it into the box.
- 4
archaicTo rest on (one's) knees.
He knelt him down to pray.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Kneel in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to stoop down and rest on the knee:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | s'agenouiller |
| German | knien |
| Portuguese | ajoelhar-se |
| Spanish | arrodillarse, ahinojar |
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 kneel come from?
From Middle English knelen, from Old English cnēowlian (“to kneel”), equivalent to knee + -le. Cognate with Dutch knielen, Low German knelen, dialectal German knielen, Alemannic German chnüle, Danish knæle, all meaning “to kneel”.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).