Knuth

/k(ə)ˈnuːθ/

//k(ə)ˈnuːθ// name

"knuth" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Knuth” is uncommon English (frequency #88,511 among 9,255 “K” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#88,511
frequency rank, English
9,255
“K” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A surname.

Key facts for Knuth
PropertyValue
HeadwordKnuth
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/k(ə)ˈnuːθ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#88,511
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Knuth” 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). Knuth lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

Knuth is uncommon English at frequency #88,511 among 9,255 “K” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /k(ə)ˈnuːθ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for Knuth, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct English form is Knuth, spelled K-N-U-T-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A surname.
  2. 2
    A surname.

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 "Knuth"?
"Knuth" is spelled K-N-U-T-H. The IPA pronunciation is /k(ə)ˈnuːθ/.
What does "Knuth" mean?
As a proper noun, "Knuth" means: A surname.
How do you pronounce "Knuth"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Knuth" is /k(ə)ˈnuːθ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Knuth" come from?
"Knuth" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “Knuth”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is K-N-U-T-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /k(ə)ˈnuːθ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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