CalcPairsKnots to MPH Converter (kn to mph)
10 knots is 11.507794 mph. A knot is one nautical mile per hour; the nautical mile is exactly 1.852 km, so knots × 1.150779 gives mph. Hurricane force starts at 64 knots — 73.65 mph.
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How this conversion works
Knots are the speed of the sea and the air: ships, aircraft and every serious weather forecast. A knot is about 15% faster than a mile per hour, so the mph figure is always the larger of the two — a 20-knot breeze is 23.02 mph, and a ferry at 35 knots is doing 40.28 mph.
The nautical mile behind the knot is one minute of latitude — 1/21,600 of the Earth's circumference, fixed today at exactly 1,852 metres. It survives because it makes chart navigation arithmetic-free, even in a world that otherwise measures distance in kilometres.
The exact formula
mph = knots × 1.150779448
Exactly: knots × 1.852 km per nautical mile ÷ 1.609344 km per mile. The reverse is knots = mph ÷ 1.150779448.
Knots to Miles per hour conversion table
| Knots (kn) | Miles per hour (mph) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1.150779 |
| 2 | 2.301559 |
| 3 | 3.452338 |
| 4 | 4.603118 |
| 5 | 5.753897 |
| 6 | 6.904677 |
| 7 | 8.055456 |
| 8 | 9.206236 |
| 9 | 10.357015 |
| 10 | 11.507794 |
| Knots (kn) | Miles per hour (mph) |
|---|---|
| 11 | 12.658574 |
| 12 | 13.809353 |
| 13 | 14.960133 |
| 14 | 16.110912 |
| 15 | 17.261692 |
| 16 | 18.412471 |
| 17 | 19.563251 |
| 18 | 20.71403 |
| 19 | 21.86481 |
| 20 | 23.015589 |
| Knots (kn) | Miles per hour (mph) |
|---|---|
| 21 | 24.166368 |
| 22 | 25.317148 |
| 23 | 26.467927 |
| 24 | 27.618707 |
| 25 | 28.769486 |
| 26 | 29.920266 |
| 27 | 31.071045 |
| 28 | 32.221825 |
| 29 | 33.372604 |
| 30 | 34.523383 |
| Knots (kn) | Miles per hour (mph) |
|---|---|
| 31 | 35.674163 |
| 32 | 36.824942 |
| 33 | 37.975722 |
| 34 | 39.126501 |
| 35 | 40.277281 |
| 36 | 41.42806 |
| 37 | 42.57884 |
| 38 | 43.729619 |
| 39 | 44.880398 |
| 40 | 46.031178 |
| Knots (kn) | Miles per hour (mph) |
|---|---|
| 41 | 47.181957 |
| 42 | 48.332737 |
| 43 | 49.483516 |
| 44 | 50.634296 |
| 45 | 51.785075 |
| 46 | 52.935855 |
| 47 | 54.086634 |
| 48 | 55.237414 |
| 49 | 56.388193 |
| 50 | 57.538972 |
Frequently asked questions
How many mph is 1 knot?
1.150779 mph.
Why is it called a knot?
Sailors once timed a log line paid out over the stern, with knots tied at measured intervals; the count of knots in the glass's time was the speed. The name outlived the rope.
What wind speed is a hurricane in knots?
Hurricane force begins at 64 knots (73.65 mph, 118.5 km/h) on the Beaufort scale and the Saffir–Simpson scale alike.