How to pronounce known in American English

IPA /noʊn/ Syllables 1 · nohn Stress 1st syllable

NOHN

Start here

Americans pronounce known as NOHN (/noʊn/). You'll hear it in sentences like "I should have known" or "The wild west was wide and well known" — more examples below.

Now you try.

Record yourself saying "known" and play it back. The mic stays on your device — nothing's uploaded.

Ready when you are

Tap the mic to start

Preview your accent profile

Get your accent profile and 5-axes assessment.

Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

Our AI coach listens to your recording and grades 5 dimensions of pronunciation — then tells you exactly what to fix next.

72% Noticeable accent

Unlock the full report in the app

Sound by sound

Every sound in "known".

1 syllable, 3 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.

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.

In real conversation

Hear "known" in the wild.

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

"An ancient nation known for fine cotton."

uhn AYN·shuhnt NAY·shuhn NOHN fer FAHYN KAH·tuhn

"Dolphins are known for their intelligence and playfulness."

DAHL·fuhnz er NOHN fer dhair ihn·TEH·luh·juhns and PLAY·fuhl·nuhs

"He is known for his bold use of color and geometric shapes."

hee ihz NOHN fer hihz BOHLD YOOS uhv KUH·ler and jee·uh·MEH·truhk SHAYPS

"He was known for being a bit of a rebel in his youth."

hee wuhz NOHN fer BEE·uhng uh BIHT uhv uh REH·buhl ihn hihz YOOTH

"I should have known."

AHY SHOOD huhv NOHN

"Orchids are known for their beautiful and exotic flowers."

OR·kuhdz er NOHN fer dhair BYOO·tuh·fuhl and uhg·ZAH·duhk FLOW·erz

Find another

Looking for a different word or sentence?

Search the entire library

Press / anywhere to focus the search box.

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

Is the American pronunciation of "known" 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 "NOHN" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.