How to pronounce “known”
Say “known” in one beat
known
/noʊn/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /nəʊn/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- knownnoʊn
- IPA (American)
- /noʊn/
- IPA (British)
- /nəʊn/
- Respelling
- NOHN
- Syllables
- 1 — known
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /noʊn/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- verb, adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/noʊn/
/nəʊn/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “known” 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
“The town is known for its old stone bridge.”“known”, answered
How do you pronounce “known”?
“known” is pronounced /noʊn/ (NOHN) in American English and /nəʊn/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /noʊn/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “known” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /noʊn/ — a single beat.
Is “known” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /noʊn/ (NOHN); British English says /nəʊn/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “known” 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 “known”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /noʊn/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “known” 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.