know

/nəʊ/

//nəʊ// verb

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

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

The verdict

“know” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #84 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#84
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To perceive the truth or factuality of; to be certain of; to be certain that.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

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

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

Key facts for know
PropertyValue
Headwordknow
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/nəʊ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#84
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “know” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for know is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /nəʊ/. Corpus data places it at rank #84 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 14 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for know, with forms such as "kknow", "knnow", and "knoww". 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 knowen, from Old English cnāwan (“to know, perceive, recognise”), from Proto-West Germanic *knāan, from Proto-Germanic *knēaną (“to know”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”). Cognates from Indo-European: Latin gnoscō, Latin co… The correct English form is know, spelled K-N-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    To perceive the truth or factuality of; to be certain of; to be certain that.
  2. 2
    To be or become aware or cognizant.
  3. 3
    To be aware of; to be cognizant of.
  4. 4
    To be acquainted (with another person).
  5. 5
    To be acquainted or familiar with; to have encountered.
  6. 6
    To be acquainted or familiar with; to have encountered.
  7. 7
    To experience.
  8. 8
    To understand or have a grasp of through experience or study.
  9. 9
    To be able to distinguish, to discern, particularly by contrast or comparison; to recognize the nature of.
  10. 10
    To recognize as the same (as someone or something previously encountered) after an absence or change.
  11. 11
    To have knowledge; to have information, be informed.
  12. 12
    To be able to play or perform (a song or other piece of music).
  13. 13
    To have indexed and have information about within one's database.
  14. 14
    To maintain (a belief, a position) subject to a given philosophical definition of knowledge; to hold a justified true belief.

Etymology

From Middle English knowen, from Old English cnāwan (“to know, perceive, recognise”), from Proto-West Germanic *knāan, from Proto-Germanic *knēaną (“to know”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”). Cognates from Indo-European: Latin gnoscō, Latin cognoscō (Spanish conocer, French connaître, Romanian cunoaște, Italian conoscere, Portuguese conhecer), Ancient Greek γνωρίζω (gnōrízō, “I know”) and γνῶσις (gnôsis, “knowledge”), Albanian njoh (“I know, recognise”), Russian знать (znatʹ, “to know”), Lithuanian žinoti (“to know”), and Persian شناختن (šenâxtan, “to know”). from Proto-Germanic: Scots knaw (“to know, recognise”), Icelandic knega (“to know, know how to, be able”), Old High German knājan (“to know, recognise”), Old Norse kná (“to know how”). Remotely related also Dutch and German kennen, West Frisian kenne (see English ken).

Synonyms

coitizego to bed withsleep withcopulate with

This word in other languages

saber(Español)savoir(Français)wissen(Deutsch)saber(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: kknow,knnow,knoww,knwo,konw,nkow

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of know - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

kknow1knnow1knoww1knwo2konw2nkow2
Edit distance from "know"

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 "know"?
"know" is spelled K-N-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /nəʊ/.
What does "know" mean?
As a verb, "know" means: To perceive the truth or factuality of; to be certain of; to be certain that.
What words are commonly confused with "know"?
"know" 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 "know"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "know" is /nəʊ/. 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 "know"?
From Middle English knowen, from Old English cnāwan (“to know, perceive, recognise”), from Proto-West Germanic *knāan, from Proto-Germanic *knēaną (“to know”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”). Cognates from Indo-European: Latin gnoscō... 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.

Using “know”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is K-N-O-W - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /nəʊ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “ko” - see the side-by-side comparison. know vs ko
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list