Pronunciation

How to pronounce “knuckle

“knuckle” is pronounced /ˈnʌkəl/ (NUK-uhl) — 2 syllables, stressed on “knuck”.
The sound

Say “knuckle” in 2 beats

Say it like this

knuckle

/ˈnʌkəl/

The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.

2 beats
  1. knuckstress
  2. lekəl
IPA (American)
/ˈnʌkəl/
IPA (British)
/ˈnʌkəl/
Respelling
NUK-uhl
Syllables
2 — KNUCK-le
Stress
Stress the first syllable: KNUCK-le. “knuck” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Watch out

Where “knuckle” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    kuh-NUK-ul

    the k is silent: NUK-uhl

Meaning

What “knuckle” means

  1. noun

    a joint of a finger when the fist is closed

  2. verb

    press or rub with the knuckles

  3. verb

    shoot a marble while keeping one's knuckles on the ground

Say it in a sentence

He knocked so hard he split the skin on one knuckle.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

knuckle”, answered

How do you pronounce “knuckle”?

“knuckle” is pronounced /ˈnʌkəl/ (NUK-uhl) — 2 syllables, stressed on “knuck”. Build it as KNUCK-le, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “knuckle” have?

2: knuck · le. The beat lands on the first, “knuck”. Read letter by letter it looks like 3 (kuh-NUK-ul), and that careful version is not wrong — but ordinary speech runs it to 2.

What does “knuckle” mean?

As a noun: a joint of a finger when the fist is closed For example: “He knocked so hard he split the skin on one knuckle.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “knuckle”?

Stress the first syllable: KNUCK-le. “knuck” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “knuckle” and see every sound

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