How to spell knave

hear itknave/neɪv/nounSilent and tricky

What it means: A deceitful or untrustworthy person.

In a sentence: The knight in the story caught the naughty knave sneaking into the castle.

The part people get wrong

Watch for a silent k. Often misspelled as knayve or knav.

Same family: knavery, rogue, scoundrel, villain, trickster. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: Knave comes from Old English "cnafa," which originally meant a boy or male servant; over time, its meaning shifted to suggest a dishonest or untrustworthy man, which is why it also appears as a playing card name in older decks instead of "jack."

Patterns it uses: Silent letters

Try spelling it

You will hear the word and a sentence. Type it and press Enter. Then four more words from the same level, so you know where you stand.

Words like this

knob · knickers · bathe · knoll · knead · knock · knapsack · knot

Spelling.School is a spaced-repetition spelling practice: ten minutes a day, every word spoken aloud, every miss explained, and every word coming back just before you would forget it. Try five words without signing up.