Knots (kn)
The knot is one nautical mile per hour, exactly 1.852 km/h or about 1.151 mph.
Convert knots to any speed unit
1 knot = 1.852 kilometers per hour
Quick facts
- Unit
- Knot (plural: knots)
- Symbol
- kn
- Measures
- Velocity / Speed
- System
- Common
- Equals
- 0.514444444444 meters per second
- Definition
- One nautical mile per hour: exactly 1.852 km/h.
- Also written
- kt, kts, nautical mile per hour
1 knot in other units
| Kilometers per hour | 1.852 km/h |
| Miles per hour | 1.150779448 mph |
| Meters per second | 0.5144444444 m/s |
| Feet per second | 1.687809857 ft/s |
| Mach (sea level) | 0.001511782434 Ma |
| Speed of light | 1.716002 × 10-9 c |
| Beaufort force | 0.7234715699 Bft |
| Feet per minute | 101.2685914 ft/min |
What is a knot?
The knot is one nautical mile per hour, exactly 1.852 km/h or about 1.151 mph. It is the standard unit of speed at sea and in aviation worldwide, and for wind speeds in marine and aviation weather.
The name comes from the log line sailors used to measure speed: a rope with knots tied at regular intervals, paid out behind the ship while a sandglass ran.
Where the knot sits among speed units
The knot is number 22 of 41 on our scale of speed units, ordered from smallest to largest.
What knots are used for
- Ship and boat speeds
- Aircraft airspeed
- Wind speed in marine and aviation forecasts
Knots in real life
- A container ship cruises at about 16–22 knots
- A Boeing 737 lands at about 140 knots
- The fastest sailboats exceed 60 knots
Top knot conversions
Common amounts of knots
- 0.1 kn
- 0.2 kn
- 0.3 kn
- 0.4 kn
- 0.5 kn
- 0.6 kn
- 0.7 kn
- 0.8 kn
- 0.9 kn
- 1 kn
- 1.5 kn
- 2 kn
- 2.5 kn
- 3 kn
- 3.5 kn
- 4 kn
- 4.5 kn
- 5 kn
- 6 kn
- 7 kn
- 7.5 kn
- 8 kn
- 9 kn
- 10 kn
- 11 kn
- 12 kn
- 13 kn
- 14 kn
- 15 kn
- 16 kn
- 17 kn
- 18 kn
- 19 kn
- 20 kn
- 21 kn
- 22 kn
- 23 kn
- 24 kn
- 25 kn
- 26 kn
- 27 kn
- 28 kn
- 29 kn
- 30 kn
- 31 kn
- 32 kn
- 33 kn
- 34 kn
- 35 kn
- 36 kn
- 37 kn
- 38 kn
- 39 kn
- 40 kn
- 41 kn
- 42 kn
- 43 kn
- 44 kn
- 45 kn
- 46 kn
- 47 kn
- 48 kn
- 49 kn
- 50 kn
- 51 kn
- 52 kn
- 53 kn
- 54 kn
- 55 kn
- 56 kn
- 57 kn
- 58 kn
- 59 kn
- 60 kn
- 61 kn
- 62 kn
- 63 kn
- 64 kn
- 65 kn
- 66 kn
- 67 kn
- 68 kn
- 69 kn
- 70 kn
- 71 kn
- 72 kn
- 73 kn
- 74 kn
- 75 kn
- 76 kn
- 77 kn
- 78 kn
- 79 kn
- 80 kn
- 81 kn
- 82 kn
- 83 kn
- 84 kn
- 85 kn
- 86 kn
- 87 kn
- 88 kn
- 89 kn
- 90 kn
- 91 kn
- 92 kn
- 93 kn
- 94 kn
- 95 kn
- 96 kn
- 97 kn
- 98 kn
- 99 kn
- 100 kn
- 110 kn
- 120 kn
- 130 kn
- 140 kn
- 150 kn
- 160 kn
- 170 kn
- 180 kn
- 190 kn
- 200 kn
- 210 kn
- 220 kn
- 230 kn
- 240 kn
- 250 kn
- 260 kn
- 270 kn
- 280 kn
- 290 kn
- 300 kn
- 310 kn
- 320 kn
- 330 kn
- 340 kn
- 350 kn
- 360 kn
- 370 kn
- 380 kn
- 390 kn
- 400 kn
- 410 kn
- 420 kn
- 430 kn
- 440 kn
- 450 kn
- 460 kn
- 470 kn
- 480 kn
- 490 kn
- 500 kn
- 600 kn
- 700 kn
- 800 kn
- 900 kn
- 1,000 kn
- 1,200 kn
- 1,500 kn
- 2,000 kn
- 2,500 kn
- 3,000 kn
- 4,000 kn
- 5,000 kn
- 10,000 kn
Convert knots to all 43 other units
Common
Metric
US & imperial
- kn to in/s
- kn to mi/min
- kn to mi/s
- kn to furlong per fortnight
- kn to in/h
- kn to in/min
- kn to yd/s
- kn to Admiralty knot
- kn to ft/d
- kn to ft/h
- kn to in/d
- kn to yd/min
- kn to ftm/min
- kn to yd/h
Physics & astronomy
Wind scales
Everyday comparisons
Convert to knots
Frequently asked questions
What is a knot?
The knot is one nautical mile per hour, exactly 1.852 km/h or about 1.151 mph.
How is the knot defined?
One nautical mile per hour: exactly 1.852 km/h.
How many kilometers per hour are in a knot?
One knot equals 1.852 kilometers per hour.
How many miles per hour are in a knot?
One knot equals 1.150779448 miles per hour.
How many meters per second are in a knot?
One knot equals 0.5144444444 meters per second.