How to pronounce knead
Say it like NEED. Knead is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce knead. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- NEED
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Knead pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- NEEDSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of knead
American and British speakers say knead in essentially the same way: /nid/ in the US and /niːd/ in the UK.
British respelling: NEED.
What does knead mean?
- To work and press into a mass, usually with the hands; especially, to work, as by repeated pressure with the knuckles, into a well mixed mass, the materials of bread, cake, etc.
- To treat or form as if by kneading; to beat.
- Of cats, to make an alternating pressing motion with the two front paws.
- The act of kneading something.
Where does knead come from?
From Middle English kneden, from Old English cnedan, from Proto-West Germanic *knedan, from Proto-Germanic *knudaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gnet- (“to press together”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with knead
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of knead.
Words that sound like knead
Questions about saying knead
How do you pronounce knead?
Say NEED. The American pronunciation is /nid/. In British English it is /niːd/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in knead?
Knead is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: NEED.
Do Americans and Brits say knead the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /nid/ and the British form is /niːd/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.
What words sound the same as knead?
Knead sounds the same as need in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.