How to pronounce “knew”
Say “knew” in one beat
knew
/nu/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /njuː/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- knewnu
- IPA (American)
- /nu/
- IPA (British)
- /njuː/
- Also accepted
- /nju/
- Respelling
- NOO
- Syllables
- 1 — knew
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /nu/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- verb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/nu/
/njuː/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “knew” means
- verb
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
“I know that the President lied to the people”
- verb
know how to do or perform something
“She knows how to knit”
- verb
be aware of the truth of something; have a belief or faith in something; regard as true beyond any doubt
“I know that I left the key on the table”
Say it in a sentence
“She knew the answer but waited for someone else to speak.”“knew”, answered
How do you pronounce “knew”?
“knew” is pronounced /nu/ (NOO) in American English and /njuː/ in British English, and /nju/ is also accepted — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /nu/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “knew” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /nu/ — a single beat.
Is “knew” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /nu/ (NOO); British English says /njuː/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “knew” mean?
As a verb: be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about For example: “I know that the President lied to the people” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “knew”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /nu/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “knew” and see every sound
Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.