What Is a Knot?
A knot is a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour, widely used in maritime navigation, aviation, and meteorology. Because nautical miles are based on the Earth's geometry (one nautical mile equals one minute of latitude), knots remain the standard for ships and aircraft worldwide. This converter turns a speed in knots into the more everyday units of miles per hour (mph) and kilometers per hour (km/h).
How to Use This Converter
Enter the speed in knots and the calculator instantly shows the equivalent in mph and km/h. Whether you are reading a boat's GPS, a weather forecast's wind speed, or an aircraft's groundspeed, you can quickly translate it into units you are familiar with.
The Formula Explained
One knot equals exactly 1.852 kilometers per hour by international definition (1 nautical mile = 1,852 meters). To get miles per hour, multiply knots by 1.15078, since one nautical mile is about 1.15078 statute miles. So the conversions are simply:
$$\text{mph} = \text{knots} \times 1.15078$$and
$$\text{km/h} = \text{knots} \times 1.852$$
Worked Example
Suppose a sailboat is moving at 20 knots. Multiply by 1.15078 to get 23.0156 mph, and multiply by 1.852 to get 37.04 km/h. So 20 knots is roughly 23 mph or 37 km/h — a brisk cruising speed.
$$20 \times 1.15078 = 23.0156 \text{ mph}$$$$20 \times 1.852 = 37.04 \text{ km/h}$$FAQ
Why do ships and planes use knots? Because nautical charts use latitude and longitude, and one knot conveniently equals one nautical mile per hour, which maps directly onto chart distances.
Is a knot faster than a mph? Yes. One knot equals about \(1.15\) mph, so a speed in knots is always a slightly larger number when expressed in mph.
How many km/h is 1 knot? Exactly \(1.852\) km/h by international agreement.
