What does know-how mean?
Quick answer
Know-how is a noun meaning practical knowledge or skill: knowing how to actually do something, not just facts about it. For example, “She has the technical know-how to fix the engine.”
Plenty of people know about car engines. Fewer have the know-how to rebuild one. That gap between knowing facts and having hands-on ability is exactly what the word captures.
How to use know-how in a sentence
- “We have the ideas, but we need someone with marketing know-how.”
- “Building furniture takes more know-how than you’d think.”
- “The company sold its technical know-how to a foreign partner.”
It’s usually uncountable, so you say “some know-how” or “a lot of know-how,” not “a know-how” or “know-hows.”
Know-how vs knowledge vs skill
| Word | Focus | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Knowledge | Facts and understanding | Knowledge of history |
| Skill | Ability built through practice | Typing skill |
| Know-how | Practical expertise for getting a job done, often in a specific field | Engineering know-how |
Hyphen or no hyphen?
As a noun, it’s written with a hyphen: know-how. Without the hyphen, “know how” is just the verb “know” followed by “how”:
- “I know how to swim.” (verb phrase)
- “She has swimming know-how.” (noun)
Where does it come from?
The noun is American English, first recorded in the 1830s, built simply from “know how (to do something).” It spread with industry and engineering, and today it’s borrowed into many other languages, including German, French and Turkish, especially in business, where companies talk about protecting or transferring their know-how.
Need the right words for a school assignment too? Here’s how to write a good essay introduction.
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