tacit knowledge
Know-how without words
Tacit knowledge is understanding that's difficult to articulate or transfer through words—the kind of knowing you demonstrate rather than explain.
A master carpenter has tacit knowledge of how wood behaves; a seasoned negotiator reads a room without being able to teach the skill from a manual.
Much of what makes an expert isn't in the textbook—it's tacit knowledge gained through years of practice.
The term contrasts with explicit knowledge, which can be written down and taught directly.
Instinctive sense about something
- instinctInnate behavioral tendency
- hunchUnproven inner sense
- sixth senseExtrasensory perception ability
- innateExisting since birth
subconscious · feel for · knack · natural ability · second nature · automatic · reflexive · effortless
Learning trade through employment
- mentorshipGuidance from experienced person
- hands-onInvolving direct physical engagement
- craftsmanshipSkill in making objects
- practiceRepeated work toward mastery
training · learning · expertise · mastery · proficiency · skillset · competence · finesse
Mental comprehension of something
- comprehensionMental understanding of meaning
- graspSeize or understand
- internalizationAbsorbing ideas as one's own
- assimilationAbsorbing into a whole
discernment · awareness · perception · cognition · insight · realization · recognition · mental models
Not verbally expressed
- unstatedNot openly expressed
- unarticulatedNot verbally conveyed
- unexpressedNot communicated outwardly
- assumedTaken as true
presupposed · taken-for-granted · underlying · embedded · latent · hidden · unwritten · uncodified
Making internal things external
- articulationClear vocal expression
- codificationOrganizing rules into system
- documentationWritten proof or instructions
- storytellingRecounting events aloud
demonstration · modeling · observation · imitation · socialization · elicitation · lessons learned · best practices
gut feeling
Instinctive sense about something
- instinctInnate behavioral tendency
- hunchUnproven inner sense
- sixth senseExtrasensory perception ability
innate · subconscious · feel for · knack · natural ability · second nature · automatic · reflexive · effortless · ingrained
apprenticeship
Learning trade through employment
- mentorshipGuidance from experienced person
- hands-onInvolving direct physical engagement
- craftsmanshipSkill in making objects
practice · training · learning · expertise · mastery · proficiency · skillset · competence · finesse · dexterity
understanding
Mental comprehension of something
- comprehensionMental understanding of meaning
- graspSeize or understand
- internalizationAbsorbing ideas as one's own
assimilation · discernment · awareness · perception · cognition · insight · realization · recognition · mental models · pattern recognition
unspoken
Not verbally expressed
- unstatedNot openly expressed
- unarticulatedNot verbally conveyed
- unexpressedNot communicated outwardly
assumed · presupposed · taken-for-granted · underlying · embedded · latent · hidden · unwritten · uncodified · informal
externalization
Making internal things external
- articulationClear vocal expression
- codificationOrganizing rules into system
- documentationWritten proof or instructions
storytelling · demonstration · modeling · observation · imitation · socialization · elicitation · lessons learned · best practices
know, knowledge, knowing, intuition, intuitive, tacit, knowingly, taciturn, knowledgeable