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” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #84. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#84
frequency rank, English
1,236
“K” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To perceive the truth or factuality of; to be certain of; to be certain that.

Corpus desk

Index EN-know · know · English

know · rank #84 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #84
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH into

Nearest frequency peer: into (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “know”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “know” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

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 →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around know (IPA /nəʊ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #84 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 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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Question things. I have the most fun when I'm writing questioning things that people do not question- the assumptions that everybody knows are true.
  2. '[…] I know whether a boy is telling me the truth or not.' 'Thank you, sir.' Did he hell. They never bloody did.

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "know", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

into#83make#87over#88only#79

Similar misspelling depth

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

then6 variantsthan6 variantsback6 variantswant6 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "know". Here's where to go from here.

  • "know" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "ko". View pair
  • 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #84 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "K" letter cohort. K–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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