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Why is the k silent in knob?

Updated: 5/1/2024
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Gracida

Lvl 1
12y ago

Best Answer

Knob, comes from the Old German knobbe. Before English become less Germanic, when Anglian was still a Frisian dialect, the k still had an effect. You'll find that in contemporary German this is still the case eg. Knecht = Knight. When English evolved and joined the Insular Germanic languages family it lost the pronunciation of that k sound. The k in knob is now redundant, existing as a silent reference to the German origin of English.

N.B - this is the not the origin for all cases of the silent k in the English language, but is true to the vast majority of its instances.

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Wiki User

12y ago
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AnswerBot

2w ago

The "k" in "knob" is a remnant of its Middle English origins. In Old English, the "k" sound was pronounced, but over time it became silent in words like "knob," "knit," and "knight."

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Q: Why is the k silent in knob?
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Related questions

Which letter is silent in the word knob?

Knob has a silent 'k'.


Which letter is silent in this word for knob?

It's the letter "k".


What does a silent k say?

The silent k says kn.


Why is K silent in knee?

for the same reason K is silent in Kdouche


Is letter K silent in the pronunciation of volkswagen?

No, the letter "k" is not silent in the pronunciation of Volkswagen. It is pronounced as "Volks-vah-gen" with a clear "k" sound.


Is the k silent in knutsen?

Yes, the "k" in "Knutsen" is typically silent in English pronunciation.


What word has silent k?

There are some rules to silent K: 1.) If the K is followed by an N at the beginning of the word which is KN, then the K becomes silent. Here are some examples of words with silent K: 1.) Knife 2.) Knee 3.) Know 4.) Knew 5.) Knit 6.) Knitting 7.) Knob 8.) Knock 9.) Knickers 10.) Knuckle 11.) Knight 12.) Knack 13.) Knot 14.) Knave 15.) Knavish 16.) Knead 17.) Knoll 18.) Knell 19.) Knap 20.) Knawel 21.) Knur 22.) Knurl 23.) Kneel 24.) Knelt 25.) Knicks Although "weakness" contains a KN, the K doesn't become silent because it's not at the beginning of the word and it's a compound word.


Which letter is silent in the word knock?

The letter "k" in the word "knock" is silent.


When is the K silent?

The K is silent when we see the KN bond at the beginning of a word or a certain syllable, and we just say the N. These examples includes know, knife, knee, knew, kneel, knob, knock, knot, knit, knoll, etc. Although we see the KN bond, the K is pronounced when that bond has a faint pause in a separate syllable like weakness, darkness, blackness, etc.


What letter is silent in the word knew?

The K is silent.


Words that START with silent B?

Some words that start with a silent "b" include: subtle, thumb, and knob.


What is the silent letter in the word knock?

The KN makes an N sound, so the K is silent. The CK pair always has a K sound, so either the C or the K is a superfluous consonant.