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Knowing vs. Understanding: Know the Difference

Shumaila Saeed
By Shumaila Saeed || Published on February 21, 2024
Knowing is being aware of facts or information, while understanding is grasping the meaning or underlying principles of that knowledge.
Knowing vs. Understanding

Key Differences

Knowing refers to the acquisition of facts, data, or information; it is the awareness of specific details or truths. Understanding, on the other hand, goes beyond mere awareness, involving comprehension and the ability to interpret and integrate knowledge.
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Feb 21, 2024
Knowing can be seen as the first step in learning, where one becomes familiar with facts or concepts. Understanding requires deeper cognitive processing, where one connects and relates the known information to other knowledge.
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Feb 21, 2024
Knowing is often associated with memorization and recall. In contrast, understanding is linked with insight, reasoning, and the ability to apply knowledge in various contexts.
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Feb 21, 2024
While knowing can exist without understanding (one can know facts without grasping their significance), understanding inherently includes knowing, as it is impossible to understand something without first knowing it.
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Feb 21, 2024
In education, knowing is assessed through tests of recall and recognition, whereas understanding is evaluated through application, analysis, and synthesis, demonstrating a deeper level of cognitive engagement with the material.
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Feb 21, 2024
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Comparison Chart

Definition

Awareness of facts or information
Grasping the meaning or principles
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Cognitive Process

Memorization and recall
Interpretation and integration
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Dependency

Can exist without understanding
Requires knowing
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Assessment in Education

Through recall and recognition
Through application and analysis
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Relation to Application

Limited to knowledge possession
Involves applying knowledge
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Knowing and Understanding Definitions

Knowing

Knowing is being aware of specific facts or information.
He was knowing about the history of Rome.
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Jan 24, 2024

Understanding

Understanding means having insight into the workings or mechanics of something.
Her understanding of human behavior was profound.
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Jan 24, 2024

Knowing

Knowing involves having familiarity with a subject.
Knowing several languages is beneficial for communication.
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Jan 24, 2024

Understanding

Understanding is comprehending the meaning or significance of something.
Her understanding of physics was impressive.
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Jan 24, 2024

Knowing

Knowing can refer to being aware of something through experience.
He was knowing of the challenges in climbing mountains.
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Jan 24, 2024
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Understanding

Understanding is the ability to interpret and relate information coherently.
Understanding complex concepts can be challenging.
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Jan 24, 2024

Knowing

Knowing entails the possession of particular knowledge.
Knowing the rules of the game is essential for playing.
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Jan 24, 2024

Understanding

Understanding includes the capacity to apply knowledge effectively.
His understanding of mathematics made him an excellent teacher.
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Jan 24, 2024

Knowing

Possessing knowledge, information, or understanding
Very knowing about transportation costs.
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

The ability by which one understands; intelligence
Concepts that are beyond the understanding of a child.
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Jan 22, 2024

Knowing

Showing clever awareness and resourcefulness; shrewd and worldly
"Even so knowing a young ruffian as William Chaloner would have had no preparation for the shock of London" (Thomas Levenson).
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

The quality or condition of one who understands; comprehension
Do you have much understanding of calculus?.
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Jan 22, 2024

Knowing

Suggestive of secret or private knowledge
A knowing glance.
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

Individual or specified judgment or outlook; opinion
In my understanding, this is a good plan.
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Jan 22, 2024

Knowing

Deliberate; conscious
A knowing attempt to defraud.
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

A usually implicit agreement between two or more people or groups
An understanding between neighbors over late-night noise.
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Jan 22, 2024

Knowing

(Archaic) Fashionable; stylish
"Many young men ... drove about town in very knowing gigs" (Jane Austen).
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

A disposition to appreciate or share the feelings and thoughts of others; sympathy
Can't you show some understanding for the poor child?.
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Jan 22, 2024

Knowing

Possessing knowledge or understanding; knowledgeable, intelligent.
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

Characterized by or having good sense or compassion
An understanding teacher.
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Jan 22, 2024

Knowing

Deliberate, wilful.
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

The act of one that understands or comprehends; comprehension; knowledge; discernment.
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Jan 22, 2024

Knowing

Shrewd or showing clever awareness; discerning.
A knowing rascal
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

(countable) Reason or intelligence, ability to grasp the full meaning of knowledge, ability to infer.
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Jan 22, 2024

Knowing

Demonstrating knowledge of what is in fashion; stylish, chic.
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

(countable) Opinion, judgement or outlook.
According to my understanding, the situation is quite perilous. I wonder if you see it this way, too.
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Jan 22, 2024

Knowing

The ability to know something without being taught.
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

(countable) An agreement of minds; harmony; something mutually understood or agreed upon.
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Jan 22, 2024

Knowing

Suggestive of private knowledge or understanding.
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

An informal contract; mutual agreement.
I thought we had an understanding - you do the dishes, and I throw the trash.
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Jan 22, 2024

Knowing

Given my knowledge about someone or something.
Knowing you, you would try not to be late for school.
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

A reconciliation of differences.
The parties of the negotiation have managed to come to an understanding.
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Jan 22, 2024

Knowing

Present participle of know
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

(uncountable) Sympathy.
He showed much understanding for my problems when he heard about my past.
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Jan 22, 2024

Knowing

The act or condition of having knowledge.
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

Showing compassion, tolerance, and forbearance.
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Jan 22, 2024

Knowing

Skilful; well informed; intelligent; as, a knowing man; a knowing dog.
The knowing and intelligent part of the world.
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

(dated) Knowing; skilful.
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Jan 22, 2024

Knowing

Artful; cunning; as, a knowing rascal.
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

Present participle of understand
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Jan 22, 2024

Knowing

Knowledge; hence, experience.
This sore nightHath trifled former knowings.
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

Knowing; intelligent; skillful; as, he is an understanding man.
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Jan 22, 2024

Knowing

Clear and certain mental apprehension
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

The act of one who understands a thing, in any sense of the verb; knowledge; discernment; comprehension; interpretation; explanation.
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Jan 22, 2024

Knowing

Evidencing the possession of inside information
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

An agreement of opinion or feeling; adjustment of differences; harmony; anything mutually understood or agreed upon; as, to come to an understanding with another.
He hoped the loyalty of his subjects would concur with him in the preserving of a good understanding between him and his people.
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Jan 22, 2024

Knowing

By conscious design or purpose;
Intentional damage
A knowing attempt to defraud
A willful waste of time
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

The power to understand; the intellectual faculty; the intelligence; the rational powers collectively conceived an designated; the higher capacities of the intellect; the power to distinguish truth from falsehood, and to adapt means to ends.
But there is a spirit in man; and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
The power of perception is that which we call the understanding. Perception, which we make the act of the understanding, is of three sorts: 1. The perception of ideas in our mind; 2. The perception of the signification of signs; 3. The perception of the connection or repugnancy, agreement or disagreement, that there is between any of our ideas. All these are attributed to the understanding, or perceptive power, though it be the two latter only that use allows us to say we understand.
In its wider acceptation, understanding is the entire power of perceiving an conceiving, exclusive of the sensibility: the power of dealing with the impressions of sense, and composing them into wholes, according to a law of unity; and in its most comprehensive meaning it includes even simple apprehension.
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Jan 22, 2024

Knowing

Alert and fully informed;
Politically aware
A knowing collector of rare books
The most...technically aware of the novelists under thirty
Surprisingly knowledgeable about what was going on
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

Specifically, the discursive faculty; the faculty of knowing by the medium or use of general conceptions or relations. In this sense it is contrasted with, and distinguished from, the reason.
I use the term understanding, not for the noetic faculty, intellect proper, or place of principles, but for the dianoetic or discursive faculty in its widest signification, for the faculty of relations or comparisons; and thus in the meaning in which "verstand" is now employed by the Germans.
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Jan 22, 2024

Knowing

Highly educated; having extensive information or understanding;
An enlightened public
Knowing instructors
A knowledgeable critic
A knowledgeable audience
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

The cognitive condition of someone who understands;
He has virtually no understanding of social cause and effect
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Jan 22, 2024

Knowing

Knowing can mean being conscious or informed about something.
She was knowing of the recent changes in policy.
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Jan 24, 2024

Understanding

The statement (oral or written) of an exchange of promises;
They had an agreement that they would not interfere in each other's business
There was an understanding between management and the workers
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

An inclination to support or be loyal to or to agree with an opinion;
His sympathies were always with the underdog
I knew I could count on his understanding
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

The capacity for rational thought or inference or discrimination;
We are told that man is endowed with reason and capable of distinguishing good from evil
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

Characterized by understanding based on comprehension and discernment and empathy;
An understanding friend
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Jan 22, 2024

Understanding

Understanding involves grasping the underlying principles of a subject.
His deep understanding of music theory aided his compositions.
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Jan 24, 2024

Repeatedly Asked Queries

Does understanding require knowing?

Yes, understanding requires knowing as a foundational step.
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Feb 21, 2024

Is knowing just about memorizing facts?

Yes, knowing often involves memorizing and recalling facts.
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Feb 21, 2024

Is knowing sufficient for applying knowledge?

Knowing is not always sufficient; understanding is often needed for effective application.
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Feb 21, 2024

Is understanding deeper than knowing?

Yes, understanding is a deeper cognitive process than just knowing.
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Feb 21, 2024

How do teachers evaluate understanding?

Teachers evaluate understanding through application, analysis, and synthesis tasks.
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Feb 21, 2024

Can you know something without understanding it?

Yes, it's possible to know something without fully understanding it.
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Feb 21, 2024

What does understanding involve in terms of cognitive skills?

Understanding involves interpretation, integration, and application of knowledge.
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Feb 21, 2024

Is it possible to know too much without truly understanding anything?

Yes, it's possible to accumulate facts without gaining a deep understanding of any specific topic, which is often referred to as superficial knowledge.
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Feb 21, 2024

Does understanding require reasoning?

Yes, understanding requires reasoning and critical thinking.
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Feb 21, 2024

Are "knowing" and "understanding" equally important in problem-solving?

Both are important, as knowing provides the facts, and understanding helps in analyzing and solving problems effectively.
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Feb 21, 2024

How is knowing assessed in education?

Knowing is assessed through tests that focus on recall and recognition.
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Feb 21, 2024

Can understanding exist without knowing?

No, understanding cannot exist without first knowing the information.
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Feb 21, 2024

Is knowing more about quantity of information?

Yes, knowing often focuses on the quantity of information acquired.
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Feb 21, 2024

Can empathy be linked to "understanding" in human relationships?

Yes, understanding another person's feelings and perspective is closely related to emotional understanding and empathy.
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Feb 21, 2024

Can "understanding" be applied to abstract concepts?

Yes, "understanding" can be applied to abstract ideas or complex theories.
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Feb 21, 2024

Is "knowing" enough, or is "understanding" more important?

Both are important, as knowing provides the foundation, and understanding deepens your insight and ability to apply knowledge.
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Feb 21, 2024

Give an example of "understanding" a concept.

Understanding the concept of gravity involves comprehending how it affects objects and their movement.
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Feb 21, 2024

Can you have understanding without prior knowledge?

Understanding often builds upon prior knowledge, but in some cases, intuitive understanding can occur without prior knowledge.
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Feb 21, 2024

How can one enhance their understanding of a subject?

Enhancing understanding involves further study, critical thinking, and seeking explanations or insights from experts.
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Feb 21, 2024

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Shumaila Saeed
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Shumaila Saeed
Shumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.

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