One syllable: Knew.
noo
/nu/
Knew is pronounced noo (/nu/). It has one syllable (Knew), with the stress on "Knew". Knew is the past tense of know, indicating possession of knowledge in the past or awareness of a fact. It denotes a completed state of understanding, often contrasted with present knowledge (know) or uncertainty about the past. In use, it signals that information was true at a previous time, even if it might be forgotten or superseded now.
verbKnew is the past tense of know, indicating possession of knowledge in the past or awareness of a fact. It denotes a completed state of understanding, often contrasted with present knowledge (know) or uncertainty about the past. In use, it signals that information was true at a previous time, even if it might be forgotten or superseded now.
- You may nasalize incorrectly or insert an extra vowel before the vowel, saying something like /njuːən/. To correct, start with clean /n/ and hold the /uː/; avoid inserting vowel breaks. - Some speakers overenunciate the /w/ at the end, producing /njuːw/. Remember: there is no final /w/ sound in standard pronunciation. Keep the lips rounded for /uː/ without adding a glide after. - Mispronouncing /uː/ as a short /u/ or a diphthong can lead to confusion with “new” in some dialects; practice minimal pairs such as knew/new to steady the long vowel.
How to Pronounce Knew
"I knew the answer yesterday, but I might forget it today."
"She knew him from college long before they reconnected."
"They knew the plan was risky, yet they proceeded anyway."
Pronounce as /njuː/ in most varieties. The initial consonant is a voiced alveolar nasal /n/, followed by a long close front rounded vowel /uː/. The lips form a rounded position, with the tongue high and forward. The blend creates a light palatal offglide before the vowel, so the word sounds like “nyoo.” Stress is on the single syllable. For reference, listen to native speakers on reputable dictionaries or pronunciation platforms; you can compare with words like “new” in careful speech to feel the subtle rounding. IPA: US /nuː/, UK /njuː/, AU /njuː/.
Common errors include reducing it to a simple /nu/ without the initial /n/ light nasal onset, or pronouncing it as a separate cluster like /kn/ that is too aspirated. Some learners insert an extra vowel, saying /njuːw/ or /njuːw/, or mis-timing the long /uː/ vowel. The fix: start with a clean nasal /n/, keep the tongue high and forward for /uː/, and avoid adding a final /w/ sound. Practice saying ‘new’ with a careful mouth position, then transition to /njuː/ without adding extra syllables.
In US English, /nuː/ tends to be a straightforward long /uː/ after a light nasal onset. UK and AU accents maintain /njuː/ with a slightly more pronounced j-glide after the /n/, producing a subtle /nj/ sequence before the /uː/. Rhoticity doesn’t change this word much because the nucleus vowel dominates. Overall, you’ll hear: US: /nuː/, UK/AU: /njuː/. Emphasis stays on the vowel, not a strong r-colored quality since the word itself isn’t rhotic.
Two main challenges: a) keeping a clean nasal onset without inserting extra vowels or consonants, and b) producing a long /uː/ vowel that can easily shorten to /u/ in casual speech. The mouth position should be high and rounded with minimal lip tension; the tongue stays high and forward. People also tend to mishear /kn/ as a hard /kn/ cluster; in careful speech it’s simply an initial /n/ with a palatal glide. Focusing on the /njuː/ sequence helps you avoid over-articulation.
Yes—the historical spelling preserves a phonetic cue from earlier English where the /kn/ cluster carried a stronger onset, even though modern pronunciation compresses it to an /n/ onset with a light /j/ in careful speech. The result is a palatal glide before a long /uː/ vowel. In practice, you should hear a quick, almost invisible /j/ color before the vowel in careful enunciation, especially when contrasting with the homograph ‘new’ in rapid speech.
🗣️ Voice search tip: These questions are optimized for voice search. Try asking your voice assistant any of these questions about "Knew"!
- US: keep /nuː/ steady with reduced jaw movement; lips are rounded but not protruded. - UK: allow a slightly closer front position for /uː/ and a hint of /j/ when spoken carefully in connected speech; maintain a non-rhotic quality overall. - AU: similar to UK, but you may hear a subtle vowel height difference depending on speaker; keep the same /njuː/ sequence with light onset. IPA references: US /nuː/, UK /njuː/, AU /njuː/.
Knew comes from the Old English word cnawian, related to the Proto-Germanic root knēw- or knēwjan, which meant to know or perceive. It evolved from the Proto-Indo-European stem *gno-, *gnow-, meaning to know. In Middle English, forms like knew and knawan coexisted as the language shifted toward standardized spellings; the spelling retained the vowel pattern from earlier pronunciations while the modern pronunciation settled on /n/ as the final sound. Historically, the word shifted in pronunciation through reductions and vowel mergers, especially in unstressed syllables, culminating in the contracted, single-syllable form we use today. The term first appears in written English in the Early Middle English period, with attestations in the 9th to 12th centuries reflecting a robust Germanic cognate set that underpinned the modern verb “know.” The word’s semantic arc—from general awareness to precise acquaintance—mirrors broader shifts in epistemic expressions in Germanic languages, where certainty and awareness are coded through similar phonemes and cognates.
💡 Etymology tip: Understanding word origins can help you remember pronunciation patterns and recognize related words in the same language family.
Help others use "Knew" correctly by contributing grammar tips, common mistakes, and context guidance.
💡 These words have similar meanings to "Knew" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Knew" and show contrast in usage.
📚 Vocabulary tip: Learning synonyms and antonyms helps you understand nuanced differences in meaning and improves your word choice in speaking and writing.
Words that rhyme with "Knew"
-new sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
🎵 Rhyme tip: Practicing with rhyming words helps you master similar sound patterns and improves your overall pronunciation accuracy.
