The Silent K in Knack Was Once Pronounced
A knack is a clever trick or aptitude. Its silent K is a fossil: English pronounced the sound until about four hundred years ago.
A knack is a special skill or a clever way of doing something. Its silent K is not decoration: until around 1600, English speakers pronounced the k in *knack*, *knee*, *knife*, *know* and *knight*, and the spelling records how the words once sounded. The cluster simplified in speech, and the spelling never caught up. The same happened with the *gn-* in *gnaw* and the *wr-* in *write*.
- A special skill. *A knack for languages.*
- A clever trick. *There's a knack to it.*
- Knack — an old word for a sharp sound. *A knack.*
- Knick-knack — a small ornament. *Shelves of knick-knacks.*
- Silent K — the spelling fossil. *A silent k.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | knack | A useful knack. |
| Plural | knacks | Two knacks. |
| Compound | knick-knack | Knick-knacks. |
| Related | knacker | A knacker's yard. |
| Middle English | knak | A sharp blow. |
- She has a knack for fixing things.Aptitude.
- There's a knack to opening it.Technique.
- The k was pronounced until about 1600.History.
Silent letters that were once heard
- kn- — knee, knife, know, knight
- gn- — gnaw, gnat, gnome
- wr- — write, wring, wrong
- gh — night, light, thought, once a throaty sound
- -mb — lamb, comb, climb
Middle English *knak*, a sharp blow or trick, probably imitative. The sense of skill developed by the 1500s.
Was the k in knife ever pronounced?
Yes. English speakers said it until around 1600, when the kn- cluster simplified in speech but not in spelling.
What is a knick-knack?
A small decorative object of little value. The doubling is a reduplication, like flip-flop or zigzag.