'Nose' is the organ of smell; 'knows' is the third person singular of 'to know'.
Noun/verb. The organ of smell on the face. Also: to detect by smell, or to move cautiously forward.
He had a red nose from being out in the cold all morning.
She has a good nose for a story — she became an excellent journalist.
The dog nosed around the garden looking for something interesting.
Verb. Third person singular present of 'to know': to have knowledge or awareness. (She knows, he knows, it knows.)
She knows the industry better than anyone else on the board.
Nobody knows what the final outcome of the negotiation will be.
He knows exactly what needs to be done to turn the company around.
Common mistake
"He nose the answer" when meaning has knowledge (correct: knows). "Nobody nose" (correct: nobody knows). Or "She knows her way around a new city" vs "She noses her way through traffic" — both correct but different.
Trick to remember it
'Nose' spells out NOS+E — N for nose, simple as that. 'Knows' contains KNOW — the verb 'know' just adds -S for third person. The K stays silent.
Quick rule
Is it the facial organ? 'Nose'. Is it the third-person of to know? 'Knows'.
Did you know?
English has more idioms with 'nose' than almost any other body part: follow your nose (use your instinct), keep your nose clean (avoid trouble), nose around (snoop), nose dive (sharp drop), on the nose (exactly right), turn up your nose at (reject with contempt), pay through the nose (pay too much). The nose has historically symbolised intuition, pride, and meddling — three very different qualities all concentrated in one body part.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She _____ the local market better than any of the consultants we hired.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The wine expert can identify a vintage by its _____ alone.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Is it the facial organ? 'Nose'. Is it the third-person of to know? 'Knows'.
"He nose the answer" when meaning has knowledge (correct: knows). "Nobody nose" (correct: nobody knows). Or "She knows her way around a new city" vs "She noses her way through traffic" — both correct but different.
'Nose' spells out NOS+E — N for nose, simple as that. 'Knows' contains KNOW — the verb 'know' just adds -S for third person. The K stays silent.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy