Unit of speed used in aviation and at sea, equal to one nautical mile per hour, which is exactly 1.852 km/h.
What it is
The knot (kt) is the standard unit of speed in aviation across most of the world: aircraft speeds, wind speeds and speed instructions from air traffic control are all given in knots. Its great advantage is that it matches the nautical mile used on navigation charts, so time and distance calculations are straightforward.
The name comes from the old ship's log line: a rope knotted at regular intervals was paid out over a timed period, and counting the knots that ran out gave the ship's speed.
Pilots distinguish several speeds in knots: indicated airspeed (KIAS), shown on the airspeed indicator; true airspeed (KTAS), relative to the air; and ground speed (GS). A typical jet airliner lands at around 130 to 150 knots, or roughly 240 to 280 km/h.
Related terms
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This page was last updated on October 9, 2026
APA
Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). Knot. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/knot
MLA
“Knot.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/knot. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.
Chicago
Vuelopedia. “Knot.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/knot.
Harvard
Vuelopedia (2026) Knot. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/knot (Accessed: 16 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_knot,
author = {{Vuelopedia}},
title = {{Knot}},
publisher = {Fundación Poderia},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-09},
url = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/knot},
howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/knot}},
urldate = {2026-10-16},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}Wikipedia
{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/knot |title=Knot |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}