Quick answer: Knew is the past tense of the verb know, meaning had knowledge or awareness of something: I knew the answer. New is an adjective meaning recently made, created, bought, or discovered — not old: a new car. Memory trick: knEW keeps the silent K from know, reminding you it's about knowledge; nEW is simply short and describes freshness. For a fuller definition, see the Cambridge Dictionary entry for ‘knew’.
Comparison Table
| Word | Part of Speech | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| knew | verb (past tense of know) | had knowledge or awareness of something | She knew the answer immediately. |
| new | adjective | recently made, created, bought, or discovered; not old | They bought a new house last month. |
Using Knew (Past Tense of Know)
Knew is the irregular past-tense form of the verb know. It describes something you had knowledge of, were aware of, or were familiar with in the past. This irregular pattern — know → knew → known — is one of the most frequent irregular verbs in English, covered in detail on our past tenses page.
I knew the answer to that question.
She knew him from university.
We knew something was wrong as soon as we walked in.
He knew the city well after living there for ten years.
They knew that the meeting had been cancelled.
Know, Knew, Known
The three principal forms of this irregular verb are: know (present), knew (past simple), and known (past participle, used with have/has/had).
- I know the answer now. (present)
- I knew the answer yesterday. (past simple)
- I have known her for years. (present perfect)
Using New (Adjective)
New describes something that has recently come into existence, been created, purchased, discovered, or introduced — the opposite of old. It is one of the most common adjectives in English and can describe objects, people, ideas, and experiences alike.
We just bought a new car.
There is some new information about the case.
She started a new job last week.
Scientists discovered a new species of frog in the rainforest.
Happy New Year!
Common Collocations with New
- brand new (completely new)
- new to (a place, job, or situation)
- what's new? (informal greeting)
- New Year, New Year's Day
Memory Trick
Notice that knew keeps the silent K from its base verb know — if you can replace the word with "knew (that)" and it still makes sense as a past action, use knew. New has no K and simply describes something fresh or recent — try substituting "recent" or "not old"; if that works, use new.
Common Mistakes
✗ I new he was lying.
✓ I knew he was lying.
✗ We just moved into our knew apartment.
✓ We just moved into our new apartment.
✗ She new all the answers on the test.
✓ She knew all the answers on the test.
Mini-Quiz
Test your understanding with an interactive exercise:
- Grammar Quiz — choose the correct word in multiple-choice questions.
- Cloze Dropdown — fill in the blank with knew or new.
Quick Check: Knew or New?
Four questions — choose the correct word for each sentence.
1. “I ___ the answer before anyone told me.”
2. “We just bought a ___ car.”
3. “She ___ him from university.”
4. “Which word has a silent letter?”
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between knew and new?
Knew is the past tense of the verb know, meaning had knowledge or awareness of something: "I knew the answer." New is an adjective meaning recently made, created, bought, or discovered, the opposite of old: "a new car." The two words are homophones — they sound identical — but knew is always a verb form, while new is always an adjective.
What are the three forms of the verb know?
Know is an irregular verb with three principal forms: know (present), knew (past simple), and known (past participle). Examples: "I know the answer" (present); "I knew the answer yesterday" (past simple); "I have known her for ten years" (present perfect, using known with have/has/had).
Why is there a silent K in knew?
Knew comes from the Old English verb cnawan, where the initial "cn-" (later "kn-") sound was originally pronounced. Over centuries of sound change, English speakers stopped pronouncing the K before N, but the spelling was kept. This is why many "kn-" words in English — know, knee, knife, knock, knew — all have a silent K today.
Can "new" be used before any noun?
Yes, new is a very flexible adjective that can describe almost any noun: a new house, a new idea, a new friend, new information, a new year. It typically comes directly before the noun it describes: "She bought a new phone" (not "She bought new a phone"). It can also follow linking verbs: "The car looks new."
What are common collocations with new?
Common collocations include: brand new (completely new), new to (something) meaning recently arrived or inexperienced, what's new? (an informal greeting), Happy New Year, a new lease of life, and turn over a new leaf (start fresh). New frequently pairs with words expressing freshness, change, or a fresh start.
What are common collocations with knew?
Common collocations include: knew (that) + clause, knew about (something), knew (someone) from (somewhere), never knew, and always knew. Knew is almost always followed by an object, a that-clause, or a preposition showing what or whom the knowledge concerned: "She knew about the surprise party."
Is "knew" ever used as an adjective?
No, knew is exclusively a verb form — specifically, the past simple tense of know. It cannot function as an adjective, unlike new. If you want to describe something using knowledge as an adjective, you would use words like "knowledgeable" or the adjective "known," as in "a well-known author," which is the past participle used adjectivally.
How can I remember knew vs new?
Remember that knew keeps the silent K from its base verb know — if the word relates to knowledge or awareness in the past, it needs that K. New has no K and is the short, simple adjective for anything fresh or recent. You can also think: "K for Knowledge" links knew to its meaning.
Is "newly" related to new or knew?
Newly is the adverb form of new, meaning recently: "a newly married couple," "newly discovered evidence." It is not related to knew at all. There is no adverb form of knew in common use, since knew is simply a past-tense verb form, not a base word that takes adverbial suffixes.
Do beginners often confuse knew and new?
Yes, very often. Because knew and new are perfect homophones and both are extremely common words learned early in English study, beginners frequently misspell one for the other, especially in writing. Practising sentences with both words side by side, and remembering that knew always follows a subject like a verb ("I knew," "she knew"), helps build confidence with this pair.