Knots to MPH Converter
One knot is 1.15078 miles per hour. Type a speed in knots and get mph, km/h and m/s at once, or swap to turn mph into knots.
Convert knots to mph
20 knots = 23.0156 mph
1 knots = 1.150779 mph
- 37.04 km/h
- 10.2889 m/s
How to Convert Knots to MPH
Multiply by 1.15078
Enter the speed
Type the speed in knots, such as a ship's service speed or a wind speed from a marine forecast.
Read the mph
The converter multiplies by 1.15078 and also shows km/h and meters per second.
Swap if needed
Use the swap button to go from mph to knots, which divides by 1.15078 instead.
Why a Knot Is Faster Than an MPH
A knot is a nautical mile per hour
Exact, not rounded
A nautical mile is 1,852 m and a statute mile 1,609.344 m, so 1 knot is 1,852 / 1,609.344 = 1.150779 mph.
Every speed unit
One entry shows mph, km/h and m/s, so you never need a second converter.
Both directions
Swap the units to turn a speed in mph into knots for a chart, a log or a forecast.
Free
No account and no limit. The conversion runs in your browser, so it keeps working offline once the page has loaded.
Who Converts Knots to MPH
Who it is for and what they use it for
Boaters and sailors
Compare a boat's speed in knots with the road speed you know, or a speed limit on a lake given in mph.
Cruise passengers
Turn the ship's speed on the cabin TV into something familiar: a cruise ship at 20 knots is doing 23 mph.
Wind and weather watchers
Read a marine forecast or a hurricane advisory in knots and know what it means in mph.
Frequently Asked
Questions
Everything you need to know about the Knots to MPH Converter.
1 knot is 1.150779 miles per hour. Rounded, multiply knots by 1.15 to get mph.
20 knots is 23.0 mph. 10 knots is 11.5 mph, 30 knots is 34.5 mph and 40 knots is 46.0 mph.
Divide mph by 1.150779, or multiply by 0.868976. 60 mph is 52.1 knots.
A knot is one nautical mile per hour, and a nautical mile is one minute of latitude. That lets a navigator read distance straight off the side of a chart, so speed, distance and time work together without conversion.
Most cruise ships cruise at 18 to 22 knots, which is 21 to 25 mph. Container ships usually sail at 14 to 20 knots, 16 to 23 mph.
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