How to Pronounce “knead”

American (US)

/niːd/

British (UK)

/niːd/

verb — To work dough with the hands to develop it before baking.

Example: Knead the dough for ten minutes until it is smooth.

The k is silent. Every English word beginning kn- lost the /k/ centuries ago but kept it in the spelling. “knead” starts on a plain /n/ sound, exactly as if the k were not written.

What does "knead" mean?

knead (verb): To work dough with the hands to develop it before baking. For example — Knead the dough for ten minutes until it is smooth.

How do you pronounce "knead" in American vs British English?

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "knead", /niːd/, so the difference you hear is in how the vowels are coloured rather than in which sounds are used. Play both on this page to compare.

What is the IPA transcription of "knead"?

/niːd/ in American English, /niːd/ in British English.

• Silent K words