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Quick Reference Table
Common knot values — Beaufort wind scale, sailing speeds, and hurricane categories.
| Knots | MPH | km/h | m/s | Description | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.15 | 1.85 | 0.51 | Light air | Beaufort 1 |
| 5 | 5.75 | 9.26 | 2.57 | Light breeze | Beaufort 2 |
| 10 | 11.51 | 18.52 | 5.14 | Gentle breeze | Beaufort 3 |
| 15 | 17.26 | 27.78 | 7.72 | Moderate breeze | Beaufort 4 |
| 20 | 23.02 | 37.04 | 10.29 | Fresh breeze | Beaufort 5 |
| 25 | 28.77 | 46.30 | 12.86 | Strong breeze | Beaufort 6 |
| 28 | 32.21 | 51.86 | 14.40 | Near gale | Beaufort 7 |
| 34 | 39.12 | 62.97 | 17.49 | Gale | Beaufort 8 |
| 40 | 46.03 | 74.08 | 20.58 | Severe gale | Beaufort 9 |
| 48 | 55.23 | 88.90 | 24.69 | Storm | Beaufort 10 |
| 56 | 64.43 | 103.72 | 28.81 | Violent storm | Beaufort 11 |
| 64 | 73.64 | 118.55 | 32.92 | Hurricane force | Beaufort 12 |
| 64 | 73.64 | 118.55 | 32.92 | Tropical Storm / Cat 1 threshold | Cat 1 |
| 83 | 95.51 | 153.72 | 42.70 | Category 2 hurricane | Cat 2 |
| 96 | 110.45 | 177.76 | 49.38 | Category 3 — Major hurricane | Cat 3 |
| 113 | 129.98 | 209.26 | 58.13 | Category 4 hurricane | Cat 4 |
| 137 | 157.59 | 253.72 | 70.49 | Category 5 hurricane | Cat 5 |
| 8 | 9.21 | 14.82 | 4.12 | Typical sailing dinghy | Sailing |
| 12 | 13.81 | 22.22 | 6.17 | Average cruising yacht | Sailing |
| 450 | 517.87 | 833.40 | 231.50 | Commercial airliner cruise | Aviation |
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What Is a Knot?
A knot is a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour. One nautical mile is 1,852 meters, or approximately 1.151 statute miles. The term comes from an old seafaring practice of measuring a ship's speed by tossing a piece of wood attached to a knotted rope into the water and counting how many knots passed through a sailor's hands over a fixed time interval.
Knots are the standard speed unit in maritime navigation, aviation, and meteorology worldwide. Air traffic controllers, ship captains, and weather forecasters all speak in knots — which is why understanding the conversion to everyday units like MPH and km/h is genuinely useful.
One knot equals 1.15078 miles per hour, 1.852 kilometers per hour, 0.514444 meters per second, or 1.68781 feet per second.
Who Uses This Converter
Knots show up across many real-world activities. Here's where they matter most.
Sailors & Boaters
All marine navigation and VHF weather broadcasts use knots. Sailors need to translate boat speed and wind forecasts into terms they can feel.
Pilots
Aircraft airspeed, wind speeds at altitude, and approach speeds are all reported in knots worldwide. Student pilots learn this conversion on day one.
Weather Watchers
Hurricane and tropical storm wind speeds are broadcast in knots. When a storm's sustained winds hit 64 knots, it becomes a hurricane.
Fishermen
NOAA marine forecasts report wind and current speeds in knots. Knowing when conditions are safe requires a quick unit conversion.
Drone Operators
FAA weather tools and aviation-grade wind reports use knots. Drone pilots check wind speeds before flight to stay within safe operating limits.
Ocean Currents
Ocean current speed is measured in knots. Oceanographers, surfers, and offshore workers all encounter knots when studying water movement.