knee
PronouncedNEE
nounThe joint in the middle of your leg where your thigh and lower leg meet.
nounThe part of a piece of clothing that covers this joint.
nounA piece of wood or metal that bends at a sharp angle like a bent knee.
verbTo hit someone or something with your knee.
verbTo move forward on your knees by crawling.
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Silent K in KN
Sound“n”·/n/
In KN, the K is silent! You only say /n/, like in 'know' and 'knee'.
When K comes before N at the beginning of a word, the K is completely silent. You only pronounce the N. This comes from Old English when the K was actually pronounced.
Tip
K is silent when N is next — knock, knock, who's there? Just N!
Examples
Phonics Rule: EE Vowel Team
Sound“ee”·/iː/
When two E's are together, they say long E, like in 'tree' and 'see'.
The vowel team 'ee' almost always makes the long E sound “ee”. This is one of the most reliable vowel teams in English.
Tip
Two E's together always agree — they say “ee”!
Examples
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