Past tense of KNOW
English Grammar
The past tense of KNOW is KNEW.
Pronunciation of KNEW
UK: / njuː /
US: / nuː /
British English: It begins with the consonant cluster /nj/ (the “ny” sound) followed by the long close back rounded vowel /uː/.
American English: Unlike British English, the "y" sound is omitted, meaning it rhymes exactly with words like do, or blue.
The primary difference between the two is a linguistic feature called "yod-dropping," where General American English drops the /j/ ("y") sound after alveolar consonants like /n/
You can hear the pronunciation of KNEW in this video:
Example sentences with KNEW
- She knew the answer.
- They knew they were in trouble.
- The teacher knew all of her students' names by the second day of school.
- She knew something was wrong the moment she walked into the quiet room.
- She knew her best friend better than anyone else did.
- The team knew the match would be difficult.
- I always knew you would succeed because of your incredible dedication.
- She knew the piano piece so well that she could play it with her eyes closed.
- The mechanic knew how to fix the engine.
- I knew the answer to the final trivia question.
Next learning activities
See our List of past tense irregular verbs in English.
Watch our video about 101 Irregular Past Tense Verbs in English.
English Language Resource
We also have all of these verbs available as flash cards / charts that can be used in the ESOL / ELA classroom. These can be purchased here: 101 Irregular Verbs - Past Tense in English - Flash Cards / Charts
If you found this grammar lesson about the past tense of KNOW in English useful, let others know about it.
