Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell known

What it means: Widely familiar or recognized by many people.

In a sentence: The famous singer is known all over the world. ▶

The part people get wrong

Watch for a silent n and a silent k. Often misspelled as knowed or nown.

Same family: knows, knew, knowing, knowledge, unknown. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Known” is the past participle of “know,” which comes from Old English “cnāwan,” meaning “to perceive, understand, or recognize.” The silent “k” in both “know” and “known” reflects this old spelling with an initial /k/ sound that later disappeared in speech but stayed in writing.

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

knowledge · knew · autumn · knives · knife

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