How to pronounce know in American English

IPA /noʊ/ Syllables 1 · noh Stress 1st syllable

NOH

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Americans pronounce know as NOH (/noʊ/). You'll hear it in sentences like "No, I do not know" or "I don't know what to tell you" — more examples below.

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Sound by sound

Every sound in "know".

1 syllable, 2 sounds. Explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.

n/n/

Touch the tip or front edge of your tongue to the roof of your mouth behind your teeth. Air flows through your nose.

oh/oʊ/

Start with your mouth slightly open, then close your jaw slightly as your lips round. Shift your tongue back slightly, then stretch the back up.

In real conversation

Hear "know" in the wild.

Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.

"As far as I know, the meeting is still scheduled for ten."

uhz FAR uhz ahy NOH dhuh MEE·duhng ihz STIHL SKEH·joold fer TEHN

"He didn't know that was a secret."

hee DIH·duhnt NOH dhat wuhz uh SEE·kruht

"I also want to know the result."

ahy AHL·soh WAHNT tuh NOH dhuh ruh·ZUHLT

"I bet you already know the answer."

ahy BEHT yoo ahl·REH·dee NOH dhee AN·ser

"I cannot commit to anything until I know my work schedule."

ahy KA·naht kuh·MIHT tuh EH·nee·thuhng uhn·TIHL ahy NOH mahy WURK SKEH·jool

"I don't know what to tell you."

ahy dohn NOH wuht tuh TEHL yoo

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Questions

Questions people ask about this.

Is the American pronunciation of "know" different from British English?

American English uses different vowel shapes, a relaxed retroflex R, and connected-speech tricks like flap-T and glottal-stop T that British Received Pronunciation generally avoids. The respell "NOH" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.