How to pronounce knows in American English

IPA /noʊz/ Syllables 1 · nohz Stress 1st syllable

NOHZ

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Americans pronounce knows as NOHZ (/noʊz/). You'll hear it in sentences like "I'm certain he knows the correct answer" or "No one knows the code for the home phone" — more examples below.

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Sound by sound

Every sound in "knows".

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.

z/z/

Same position as S, but add vocal cord vibration. Feel the buzz.

In real conversation

Hear "knows" in the wild.

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

"Emergency drills are scheduled quarterly to ensure everyone knows the procedure."

uh·MUR·juhn·see DRIHLZ er SKEH·juhld KWOR·ter·lee tuh uhn·SHUUR EHV·ree·wuhn NOHZ dhuh pruh·SEE·jer

"I'm certain he knows the correct answer."

ahym SUR·tuhn hee NOHZ dhuh kuh·REHKT AN·ser

"No one knows the code for the home phone."

NOH wuhn NOHZ dhuh KOHD fer dhuh HOHM FOHN

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Questions

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