Thomas A. (Thomas Albert) Knott

Thomas A. Knott (Thomas Albert Knott, 1880–1945) was an American scholar of English whose published work ranged widely across language study, composition, and medieval literature. Records of his books show him as the coauthor of The Elements of Old English, Handbook of Correct Writing, and Writing and Rewriting, as well as an editor of Piers the Plowman.

He is most widely associated today with A Pronouncing Dictionary of American English (1944), written with John Samuel Kenyon. That dictionary became so well known that the pronunciation notation is often referred to simply as “Kenyon and Knott” or “KK,” especially in English-language learning contexts.

Taken together, his books suggest a writer and teacher deeply interested in how English works at every level: from sentence style and correctness to historical grammar and spoken pronunciation. While easily overlooked outside specialist circles, his work helped connect classroom English, scholarly study, and practical reference tools in a lasting way.