The spelling of the word "Knudson" can be a bit tricky. In IPA phonetic transcription, it's written as /ˈknuːdsən/. The "kn" at the beginning is pronounced as a voiceless velar nasal sound, represented by the symbol /k/. The "u" between the "k" and "n" is silent, so it's not actually pronounced. The "d" is a regular voiced dental plosive, represented by /d/, and the "s" is voiceless alveolar fricative, represented by /s/. Finally, the "en" is a syllabic nasal, pronounced as /n̩/.
The word "Knudson" is a surname of Norwegian origin. It is derived from the Old Norse personal name "Knutr", meaning "knot" or "knob", combined with the suffix "-son", meaning "son of". Therefore, "Knudson" can be roughly translated to "son of Knut" or "Knutsen" in Norwegian. It is a patronymic surname, indicating the father's name as the basis for identification.