knew

/ˈnjuː/

//ˈnjuː// verb

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

"knew" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“knew” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #635. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#635
frequency rank, English
1,236
“K” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - simple past of know

Corpus desk

Index EN-knew · knew · English

knew · rank #635 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #635
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH happened

Nearest frequency peer: happened (-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 “knew”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “knew” 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).

knew vs kno
50% similar
knew vs know
75% similar
knew vs Knox
25% similar

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

Key facts for knew
PropertyValue
Headwordknew
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈnjuː/
Letters4
Frequency rank#635
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “knew”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).knewlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “happened” (#634), “lead” (#636), “film” (#633). Among 1,236 “K” headwords, “knew” is #635. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around knew (IPA /ˈnjuː/), averb. Corpus frequency is #635 among 1,236 “K” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for knew, with forms such as "kenw", "kknew", and "kneww". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "kno", "know", "Knox", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct English form is knew, spelled K-N-E-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    simple past of know
  2. 2
    past participle of know

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I'll say I've knew this some time and tried to stop it—it was my business to stop it.
  2. […]I've knew people that if they got a rag rug on the floor and a kewpie doll lamp on the phonograph they think they're runnin' a parlor house.'

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • kenw
  • kknew
  • kneww
  • knnew
  • knwe
  • nkew

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of knew - 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.

kenw2kknew1kneww1knnew1knwe2nkew2
Edit distance from "knew"

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 "knew"?
"knew" is spelled K-N-E-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnjuː/.
What does "knew" mean?
As a verb, "knew" means: simple past of know
What words are commonly confused with "knew"?
"knew" is commonly confused with "kno", "know", "Knox". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "knew"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "knew" is /ˈnjuː/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "knew" come from?
"knew" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 "knew", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

lead#636film#633died#632club#630

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

above6 variantshold6 variantsyou'll6 variantsshot6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list