knowingly
adverb
knowingly is spelled K-N-O-W-I-N-G-L-Y: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,928th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, knowingly means “In the manner of one who knows” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in knowingly?
| Letters | 9: K-N-O-W-I-N-G-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.2 times per million words; the 14,928th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is knowingly?
Knowingly appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,928th 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 knowingly?
Knowingly has 3 syllables (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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-knowingly.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of knowingly
- more knowingly comparative
- most knowingly superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does knowingly mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In the manner of one who knows.
She smiled knowingly, but kept the secret.
- 2
With knowledge of all relevant facts.
She would never knowingly pour any pollutant down the drain.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Knowingly in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense adverb:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | sciemment |
| German | wissentlich, bewusst |
| Spanish | a sabiendas, con conocimiento de causa, sabientemente, sabedoramente, sabiendo |
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 knowingly come from?
From Middle English knawyngly, knowyngly. By surface analysis, knowing + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).