knell

/nɛl/

//nɛl// verb

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

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

The verdict

“knell” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #47,718. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#47,718
frequency rank, English
1,236
“K” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
17
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To ring a bell slowly, especially for a funeral; to toll.

Corpus desk

Index EN-knell · knell · English

knell · rank #47,718 · 5 variants · 17 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #47,718
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 17 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH kindling

Nearest frequency peer: kindling (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “knell”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “knell” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

knell vs knew
60% similar
knell vs knoll
80% similar
knell vs knelt
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for knell
PropertyValue
Headwordknell
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/nɛl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#47,718
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs17
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “knell”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “kindling” (#47,717), “Kroll” (#47,720), “Ladakh” (#47,722). Among 1,236 “K” headwords, “knell” is #47,718. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around knell (IPA /nɛl/), averb. Corpus frequency is #47,718 among 1,236 “K” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for knell, with forms such as "kenll", "kknell", and "knlel". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 17 confusable-pair relationships, "knew", "knoll", "knelt", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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”). The correct English form is knell, spelled K-N-E-L-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    To ring a bell slowly, especially for a funeral; to toll.
  2. 2
    To signal or proclaim something (especially a death) by ringing a bell.
  3. 3
    To summon by, or as if by, ringing a bell.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I’ll make thee sick at heart, before I leave thee, And groan, and die indeed, and be worth nothing, Not worth a blessing nor a bell to knell for thee […]
  2. “[…] God!—the words of the warlock are knelling in my ears!”

Etymology

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”).

This word in other languages

doblar(Español)sonner le glas(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • kenll
  • kknell
  • knlel
  • knnell
  • nkell

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of knell - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

kenll2kknell1knlel2knnell1nkell2
Edit distance from "knell"

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 "knell"?
"knell" is spelled K-N-E-L-L. The IPA pronunciation is /nɛl/.
What does "knell" mean?
As a verb, "knell" means: To ring a bell slowly, especially for a funeral; to toll.
What words are commonly confused with "knell"?
"knell" is commonly confused with "knew", "knoll", "knelt". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "knell"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "knell" is /nɛl/. 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 "knell"?
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”). 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 "knell", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Kroll#47,720Juana#47,710Johor#47,707locum#47,732

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).

leer5 variantslipa5 variantsfaro5 variantspert5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list