knob

/nɒb/

//nɒb// noun

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

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

The verdict

“knob” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,203. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,203
frequency rank, English
1,236
“K” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A rounded protuberance, especially one arising from a flat surface; a fleshy lump or caruncle.

Corpus desk

Index EN-knob · knob · English

knob · rank #15,203 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,203
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH Kristen

Nearest frequency peer: Kristen (+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 “knob”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “knob” 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).

knob vs ko
50% similar
knob vs Koh
25% similar
knob vs koi
50% similar

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

Key facts for knob
PropertyValue
Headwordknob
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/nɒb/
Letters4
Frequency rank#15,203
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “knob”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).knoblands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Kristen” (#15,204), “Lahore” (#15,205), “jihad” (#15,200). Among 1,236 “K” headwords, “knob” is #15,203. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around knob (IPA /nɒb/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,203 among 1,236 “K” headwords. Wiktionary lists 14 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for knob, with forms such as "kknob", "knbo", and "knnob". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ko", "Koh", "koi", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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”). Compare Middle Dutch knobbe, cnopp… The correct English form is knob, spelled K-N-O-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    A rounded protuberance, especially one arising from a flat surface; a fleshy lump or caruncle.
  2. 2
    A rounded control switch that can be turned on its axis, designed to be operated by the fingers.
  3. 3
    A ball-shaped part of a handle, lever, etc., designed to be grabbed by the hand.
  4. 4
    A rounded ornament on the hilt of an edged weapon; a pommel.
  5. 5
    A prominent, rounded bump along a mountain ridge.
  6. 6
    A prominent rounded hill.
  7. 7
    A woman's breast.
  8. 8
    The penis; dick.
  9. 9
    The penis; dick.
  10. 10
    The clitoris.
  11. 11
    A dollop, an amount just larger than a spoonful (usually referring to butter).
  12. 12
    A chunky branch-like piece, especially of a ginger rhizome.
  13. 13
    A bulb of the garlic plant consisting of multiple cloves.
  14. 14
    A freshman at The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We climbed to the top of Slate Hill, the highest knob in our town, and Ricky gave me a whole talk on how slate formed, how it was and was not shale.
  2. Arthur slammed his fist down on the table so hard, the cup jumped, spilling coffee. The rotten bastard means to have the guvnor’s guts. That fucking knob has never been on a live deployment in his entire life.[…]

Etymology

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”). Compare Middle Dutch knobbe, cnoppe, Middle Low German knobbe (“knob, knot in wood”), knubbe, Dutch knop (“knob, button, bud”), Old Frisian knopp, knapp, Old High German knopf (“bud, pommel of a sword, knot, loop”), Middle High German knospe, German Knopf (“button, knob”), Knospe (“bud”), Danish knap (“button”), knop (“knob, button, bud”), Faroese knappur (“button”), Icelandic hnappur (“button”), Norn knapp (“round button”), knubbi (“potato”), snapp (“knob, round top”), Norwegian and Swedish knapp (“button”), Norwegian knopp (“bud”), Swedish knopp (“bud, knob”), Finnish nappi (“button, knob”), nuppi (“knob, pommel”), Old Norse knyfill (“short horn”). Also compare Middle English knap, knappe (“small projection, knob (button, tassel, tuft, etc.), hill, hilltop, etc.)”), from Old English cnæp, cnæpp (“summit, top”), which is possibly related to Old Norse knappr (“small projection, knob (button, head of a stick, etc.)”) (whence English knop), from Proto-Germanic *knappô (“knob, lump”), *knuppô (“lump, clod”). Cognate with Dutch knob, knobbel (“knob”), German Knubbe, Knubbel (“knob”). See also knop. For the sense of a rounded hill, see nab and knab.

This word in other languages

perilla(Español)poignée(Français)Knopf(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • kknob
  • knbo
  • knnob
  • knobb
  • konb
  • nkob

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of knob - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

kknob1knbo2knnob1knobb1konb2nkob2
Edit distance from "knob"

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 "knob"?
"knob" is spelled K-N-O-B. The IPA pronunciation is /nɒb/.
What does "knob" mean?
As a noun, "knob" means: A rounded protuberance, especially one arising from a flat surface; a fleshy lump or caruncle.
What words are commonly confused with "knob"?
"knob" is commonly confused with "ko", "Koh", "koi". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "knob"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "knob" is /nɒb/. 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 "knob"?
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”). Compare Middle Dutch kno... 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 "knob", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

LIGA#15,209loaf#15,210IKEA#15,193loot#15,213

Similar misspelling depth

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

musk6 variantsnuns6 variantsflap6 variantsquasi6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list