Convert Miles per Hour to Knots
Convert Miles per Hour to Knots instantly. 1 Mile per Hour (mph) equals 0.869 Knots (kn).
Miles per Hour to Knots conversion table
| Miles per Hour (mph) | Knots (kn) |
|---|---|
| 1 mph | 0.869 kn |
| 2 mph | 1.738 kn |
| 3 mph | 2.6069 kn |
| 5 mph | 4.3449 kn |
| 10 mph | 8.6898 kn |
| 20 mph | 17.3795 kn |
| 50 mph | 43.4488 kn |
| 100 mph | 86.8976 kn |
| 500 mph | 434.4881 kn |
| 1,000 mph | 868.9762 kn |
1 Mile per Hour = 0.869 Knots · multiply Miles per Hour by 0.869
About converting Miles per Hour to Knots
Miles per Hour (mph) and Knots (kn) are both units of speed, so converting between them is a single multiplication: multiply your Miles per Hour figure by 0.869. Ten Miles per Hour comes to 8.6898 Knots, and a hundred works out at 86.8976 Knots.
Rule of thumb: going from Miles per Hour to Knots divides, so the figure always shrinks — it takes about 1.1508 Miles per Hour to make a single Knot. If your answer came out bigger, you have the conversion the wrong way round.
What is a Mile per Hour?
Miles per hour is the road-speed unit that refused to die. It is posted on the signs and printed on the speedometers of the United States and the United Kingdom, two countries that otherwise use metric for most scientific and industrial work — a split that leaves British drivers buying fuel in litres while measuring their speed in miles. It has a second life in the media of both countries, where wind gusts, pitch speeds and tennis serves are quoted in mph out of pure habit rather than for any technical reason.
What is a Knot?
The knot is one nautical mile per hour, and it is the speed unit of ships and aircraft worldwide no matter what the countries underneath use on their roads. The name is entirely literal: sailors measured speed with a chip log — a weighted board on a rope with knots tied at regular intervals, thrown over the stern and paid out for a fixed time while someone counted the knots running through their hands. It survives because it pairs with the nautical mile, which is one minute of latitude, so speed and chart distance share a ruler. One warning: "knots per hour" is simply wrong. The per-hour is already inside the word.
To put both in perspective: a US interstate limit is typically 65 to 75 miles per hour, while a cruising airliner does around 470 knots.
The converter above updates as you type, and the table lists common values for quick reference. Need the opposite direction? Use the Knots to Miles per Hour converter, or browse all Speed converters.
Frequently asked questions
How many Knots are in one Mile per Hour?
There are 0.869 Knots in one Mile per Hour.
How do I convert Miles per Hour to Knots?
Multiply the number of Miles per Hour by 0.869. For example, 10 Miles per Hour = 8.6898 Knots.
What is 100 Miles per Hour in Knots?
100 Miles per Hour is equal to 86.8976 Knots.
How do I convert Knots to Miles per Hour?
Multiply the Knots value by 1.1508 (or divide by 0.869).
Is this Miles per Hour to Knots conversion exact?
The definition is exact — Miles per Hour and Knots are both fixed against the same base by international agreement — but the decimal shown here is rounded for readability, because the true ratio does not terminate. For engineering or scientific work, carry more decimal places than this page displays.
What is a Mile per Hour?
Miles per hour is the road-speed unit that refused to die. It is posted on the signs and printed on the speedometers of the United States and the United Kingdom, two countries that otherwise use metric for most scientific and industrial work — a split that leaves British drivers buying fuel in litres while measuring their speed in miles. It has a second life in the media of both countries, where wind gusts, pitch speeds and tennis serves are quoted in mph out of pure habit rather than for any technical reason.
What is a Knot?
The knot is one nautical mile per hour, and it is the speed unit of ships and aircraft worldwide no matter what the countries underneath use on their roads. The name is entirely literal: sailors measured speed with a chip log — a weighted board on a rope with knots tied at regular intervals, thrown over the stern and paid out for a fixed time while someone counted the knots running through their hands. It survives because it pairs with the nautical mile, which is one minute of latitude, so speed and chart distance share a ruler. One warning: "knots per hour" is simply wrong. The per-hour is already inside the word.