Silent K when ⟨k⟩ is not pronounced

⟨kn⟩ — silent K before N

The letter ⟨k⟩ is silent when it comes before ⟨n⟩ at the start of a word.

Two ways to see this: You can think of ⟨kn⟩ as a silent ⟨k⟩, or as an unusual spelling of /n/ — see the N sound page. Both are valid.

Common words

Verbs

Nouns and objects

Compounds and derived forms

Less common and archaic

Proper nouns