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How to pronounce knowledge

Knowledge is pronounced NAH-lij in American English and NOL-ij in British English. It has two syllables with the stress on the first. The k is silent, and the first vowel is not the oh of know.

Say it yourself
  • 2 syllables
  • Stress on NAH
  • US and UK IPA
  • Checked in Cambridge and Oxford

knowledge

Two syllables, stress on the first

noun · what you know; facts and skills you have learned

  1. NAHnɑː (stressed)
  2. lijlɪdʒ
  • US /ˈnɑː.lɪdʒ/NAH-lij Recorded voice
  • UK /ˈnɒl.ɪdʒ/NOL-ij Your device’s voice

IPA checked in the Cambridge Dictionary and Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries. The recording is American English.

Knowledge, sound by sound

Each sound in the IPA, with a word you already know that has it.

US American English/ˈnɑː.lɪdʒ/

  1. NAHstressed

    • /n/as in now
    • /ɑː/as in father

  2. lij

    • /l/as in leg
    • /ɪ/as in sit
    • /dʒ/as in jam

UK British English/ˈnɒl.ɪdʒ/

  1. NOLstressed

    • /n/as in now
    • /ɒ/as in hot (UK)
    • /l/as in leg

  2. ij

    • /ɪ/as in sit
    • /dʒ/as in jam

Say knowledge yourself

Press the microphone and say it once. Your browser writes down what it hears: if it writes knowledge, you were understood. If it writes another word, you see which sound changed.

Tip. The k is silent, and the first vowel is not the oh of know. Say NAH-lij (US) or NOL-ij (UK).

Record yourself and play it next to our recording: the quickest way to hear a difference.

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knowledge

    Common knowledge pronunciation mistakes

    What people often say instead, and how to fix it. Say NAH-lij.

    • NotNOH-lij

      Copying the vowel of know. In knowledge the first vowel is short: NAH or NOL.

    • Notkuh-NOL-ij

      Saying the k. Start with N.

    • Notnuh-LEDGE

      Stressing the end and saying -ledge like ledge. The stress is on the first syllable, and the end is a weak lij.

    Knowledge in a sentence

    Hear each one, slow it down, then say it. Words change a little when they join others, so practise them in sentences too.

    • Her knowledge of history is amazing.

    • He shared his knowledge with the whole team.

    • Knowledge comes from reading and asking questions.

    Why is knowledge not said like know?

    The word is built on the verb know, but it is not said like it. The first syllable has a short vowel: the ah of father in the US, the o of hot in the UK. The k is silent, as in all kn- words.

    Learners often say NOH-lij because they hear know inside the word. An old form with the oh sound existed, but it is no longer in Cambridge or Oxford. Say the short vowel.

    The ending is also spelled oddly. The dge is just the sound j, as in bridge and judge, and the vowel before it is a light i: lij. The word came from Middle English knoweleche.

    Words that sound like knowledge

    Rhymes and words that share its tricky sound. Open any of them in the checker and say it.

    More words with silent letters

    All 170 difficult words

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