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'Nose' is the organ of smell; 'knows' is the third person singular of 'to know'.
Side-by-side comparison
"Nose" is the organ of smell on the face. Also the verb to detect by smell or to move forward cautiously. "Nosy" = overly curious about other people's business.
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.
"Knows" is the third person singular present of "know". "She knows" = she is aware. "He knows everything" = he has knowledge of everything. Pronounced exactly the same as "nose".
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 is wrong (correct: knows).
- •"Nose" is the facial organ or the verb to snoop around.
Trick to remember it
- •"Knows" contains "know", the verb always keeps the silent K and simply adds -s for third person.
- •"Nose" is simple: what you smell with.
Quick rule
- •Is it the facial organ? "Nose".
- •Is it the third-person singular of to know? "Knows".
Did you know?
English has dozens of idioms with NOSE, more than almost any other body part except HAND and EYE: "follow your nose" (use your instinct), "keep your nose clean" (avoid trouble), "nose around" (snoop), "nose dive" (sharp drop), "on the nose" (exactly right), "pay through the nose" (pay an outrageous price), "turn up your nose" (reject with contempt), "hard-nosed" (tough, inflexible). The nose historically represents intuition, pride, and curiosity, three very different human traits concentrated in a single facial organ.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
He always _____ the best restaurants in town. He has great taste.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
She has a little freckle on the side of her _____.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
One means to receive or agree to something, the other means to exclude or not include.
'Advice' is the guidance you receive (noun); 'advise' is the act of giving that guidance (verb).
'Affect' is the verb meaning to influence something; 'effect' is the noun meaning result or consequence.
'Aisle' is the walkway between rows of seats or shelves; 'isle' is a small island.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy