knell
/nɛl/verb, noun
knell is spelled K-N-E-L-L: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,633rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, knell means “To ring a bell slowly, especially for a funeral; to toll” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in knell?
| Letters | 5: K-N-E-L-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 47,633rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is knell?
Knell appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,633rd 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 knell?
- US /nɛl/
- Australia /nel/
Knell 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-knell.ogg, En-au-knell.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with knell
Sounds like: Nell (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with knell?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as knell from its last stressed vowel (/ɛl/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of knell
- knells present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- knelling participle, present
- knelled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does knell mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To ring a bell slowly, especially for a funeral; to toll.
- 2
To signal or proclaim something (especially a death) by ringing a bell.
- 3
To summon by, or as if by, ringing a bell.
noun
- 1
The sound of a bell knelling; a toll (particularly one signalling a death).
- 2
A sign of the end or demise of something or someone.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Knell in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | sonner le glas , glas |
| Spanish | doblar, clamorear, encordar |
| German | Geläut, Abschiedsgeläut, letztes Geläut |
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 knell come from?
From Middle English knyllen, from Old English cnyllan (“to strike; knock; clap”), from Proto-West Germanic *knuʀlijan, from Proto-Germanic *knuzlijaną (“to beat; push; mash”), from Proto-Indo-European *gen- (“to squeeze, pinch, kink, ball up”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).