How to pronounce knee
Say it like NEE. Knee 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 knee. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- NEE
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Knee pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- NEESay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of knee
American and British speakers say knee in essentially the same way: /ni/ in the US and /niː/ in the UK.
British respelling: NEE.
What does knee mean?
- hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
- joint between the femur and tibia in a quadruped; corresponds to the human knee
- the part of a trouser leg that provides the cloth covering for the knee
Where does knee come from?
The obsolete plural kneen is from Middle English kneen, knen, kneon, kneuwene.
Words that rhyme with knee
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of knee.
Words that sound like knee
Questions about saying knee
How do you pronounce knee?
Say NEE. The American pronunciation is /ni/. In British English it is /niː/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in knee?
Knee is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: NEE.
Do Americans and Brits say knee the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ni/ and the British form is /niː/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.
What words sound the same as knee?
Knee sounds the same as nee in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.