A knot is a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour. It is the standard unit of speed in maritime navigation, aviation and meteorology. This converter works in both directions — knots to kilometres per hour and kilometres per hour to knots.

1. Select the conversion direction.
2. Enter the speed value.
3. Click Convert to see the result.

20 knots = 37.04 km/h = 23.02 mph = 10.29 m/s
A vessel making 15 knots is travelling at 27.78 km/h.

Knots are used because they relate directly to nautical miles, which in turn relate to the Earth's coordinate system. A vessel travelling at 1 knot covers 1 nautical mile (1 minute of arc of latitude) per hour. This makes navigation calculations straightforward on nautical charts.

• Saying "knots per hour" — knots already means nautical miles per hour, so "knots per hour" is redundant.
• Confusing knots with km/h — 1 knot ≈ 1.852 km/h, not 1 km/h.

What is a typical ship speed in knots?

Container ships cruise at 18–25 knots. Bulk carriers: 12–15 knots. Ferries: 15–25 knots. Sailing yachts: 5–10 knots. Naval vessels: 25–35 knots.

Why do ships and aircraft use knots instead of km/h?

Knots relate directly to nautical miles, which correspond to minutes of arc on the Earth's surface. This makes navigation calculations simpler when working with latitude and longitude coordinates.