The term 'was acquainted with' can be expressed in two ways: 'knew' (4 letters) and 'knewof' (6 letters). The verb 'knew' is used to express that someone had knowledge of a person, place, or thing. The verb 'knewof' is used to express that someone was familiar with something, but may not have had direct knowledge of it. Both verbs imply that the person had some level of familiarity with the subject.