what is the difference between 知道 and 懂？

知道 means to know while 懂 means to understand although in conversation they often deliver the same meaning.
examples of different usage:
这件事我不太懂 (common)
这件事我不太知道 (uncommon)

Hey! This is a very common point of confusion for English speakers because both words often translate to 'to know' in English. The short answer is: 知道 (zhīdào) is for knowing facts or information (surface level), while 懂 (dǒng) is for comprehending concepts or understanding logic (deep level). I actually just read a very detailed article that breaks this down with great examples and context. You can check it out here: https://www.chinacurator.com/learning/difference-between-zhidao-and-dong/. Hope this helps!

Here are some examples
我不知道这个词是什么意思。 I don't know what this word means.
你可以告诉我这个东西是什么意思吗？我也不知道。这是第一次看一下这个东西。上面写的汉字，我都不认识。
Can you tell me what this thin is called? I also don't know. This is the first time that I see this thing. I don't know the Chinese characters that are written on it.
老师讲课的时候，说话很块。我听不懂他说什么。While explaining the lesson, the teacher speaks very quickly. I heard what he said, but I can't understand what he said.
我发现学习汉语很有意思， 但是，我看新的成语的时候，不知道成语是什么意思。I think learning Chinese is very interseting, but when I see new idioms, I don't know what the idiom means. (Idioms have a specific meaning).
这首歌听起来很好，但是， 我听不懂。我不知道这首歌是什么意思。This song sounds very nice. When I hear it, I don't understand it. I don't know what this song means.
你听得懂吗？Do you understand what I'm saying?
听不懂. I hear it, but I don't understand it.
你知不知道明天谁过生日？我不知道。Do you know or not who will be celebrating his/ her birthday? I don't know.

知道 to know. 懂 to understand
我不知道 I don't know
我听不懂 I heard what you said, but I did not understand what you meant.

They are used the same way, but mean slightly different things.
In the same way that 知道 and 认识 are used the same way, but mean slightly different things.

If you mean "I am aware of the information that..." → use 知道.
If you mean "I comprehend the meaning or mechanics of..." → use 懂.