knob
/nɑb/noun, verb
knob is spelled K-N-O-B: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 3.1 times per million words in written English, the 15,146th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “knob vs nob” about 90 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, knob means “A rounded protuberance, especially one arising from a flat surface; a fleshy lump or caruncle” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of knob is knobs.
How many letters and syllables are in knob?
| Letters | 4: K-N-O-B |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.1 times per million words; the 15,146th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is knob?
Knob appears 3.1 times per million words in written English, the 15,146th 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 knob?
- UK /nɒb/
- US /nɑb/
Knob 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-uk-knob.ogg, Knob_(English_US).wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with knob
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sounds like: nob (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Also written: nob.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with knob?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as knob from its last stressed vowel (/ɑb/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: bonk.
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 knob
- knobs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- knobbing participle, present
- knobbed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does knob mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A rounded protuberance, especially one arising from a flat surface; a fleshy lump or caruncle.
- 2
A rounded control switch that can be turned on its axis, designed to be operated by the fingers.
- 3
A ball-shaped part of a handle, lever, etc., designed to be grabbed by the hand.
- 4
A rounded ornament on the hilt of an edged weapon; a pommel.
- 5
A prominent, rounded bump along a mountain ridge.
- 6
A prominent rounded hill.
- 7
slangA woman's breast.
- 8
slangThe head of the penis; the glans.
verb
- 1
protrude
- 2
furnish or produce with a knob, knobble
- 3
UKslangvulgarTo have sex with.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Knob in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | poignée, bouton, pommeau , noix , nœud |
| German | Knopf, Knauf, Drehknopf, Drehschalter, Schalter |
| Portuguese | calombo, manopla, pomo |
| Spanish | perilla, asa |
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 knob come from?
From Middle English knobbe, from Middle Low German knobbe (“knob, knot in wood, bud”), probably ultimately from a variant of Proto-Germanic *knappô (“knob, lump”), one of several kn- words related to *knudaną (“to knead”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).