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About This Quiz
Knots are used for a variety of reasons. For sailors, rock climbers, hunters and many other professionals, knots can even help save a life. See how many of these knots you can name from an image.
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Noose
Cat's paw
Carrick bend
If you like things that are pleasing to look at, you may tie a Carrick bend and hang it on your wall. Though it has its useful functions, this knot is decorative and even used as a badge of heraldry for some families.
Bachmann knot
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Heaving line knot
Capsized reef knot
When a knot capsizes, it "spills" into a different form or comes undone altogether. Sometimes one may do this on purpose to undo a knot or to make it stronger.
Surgeon's knot
Angler's loop
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Honda knot
Capsized reef knot
Round turn end two half hitches
The round turn end two half hitches is a combination of moves. It is created by circling the abject you are tying the rope to a few times, then tying some half hitch knots to secure it. Just don't use it to tie your brother to a tree.
Half hitch
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Figure-of-eight loop
A figure-of-eight loop can easily jam if bearing a load. Jamming doesn't refer to rocking out to your favorite band, but rather when a knot becomes so tightened that it is difficult to undo.
Grinner knot
Clove hitch, dropped over a post
Anchor bend
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Carrick bend
Spanish bowline
This knot can be used to lift a person, conscious or unconscious. This is a good one to know if you are an outdoorsy person - it may help you save a life.
Cleat
Cow hitch
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Sheet bend
A sheet bend is an easy-to-tie knot. It gets it name from being used to tie sheets or sails on a ship.
Halter hitch
Spanish bowline
Climber's bowline
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Half hitch
This is a very common knot used to fasten things together. You can strengthen this knot by making it a double.
Rolling hitch
Bowline
Loop knot
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Constrictor knot
Figure-of-eight bend
A figure-of-eight bend is what is called a stopper knot. It functions to stop rope or line from going all the way through a latch or other device. It is popular among climbers.
Blood knot
Italian hitch
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Trilene knot
Cow hitch
The cow hitch has a long history, with evidence of its use as far back as the first century. You may also know this knot by the name of "lark's head," covering jobs on both land and water.
Rolling hitch
Sheepshank
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Turle knot
Running bowline
Need something more adjustable? Take a bowline and make it run! A running bowline is a loop than can be tossed or placed around an object and tightened to grip. The knot essentially "runs" down the line when you pull on one end, making the loop smaller or bigger.
Water knot
Distel hitch
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Sheepshank
When you get in a bind, the sheepshank can come to the rescue. If you have a section of damaged line or simply need to shorten the line, tying a sheepshank will do the trick. Careful though, it is not recommended that any damaged line - knot or no knot - bear any loads or high drops.
Cat's paw
Grinner knot
Bill hitch
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Anchor bend
Prusik knot
Double grinner knot
Rolling hitch
A rolling hitch is used to attach a rope to a pole or a thicker rope. Instead of holding at a right angle, it is designed to run along the pole for adjustment.
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Sheepshank
Heaving line knot
Running bowline
Blood knot
There are two animals that have been observed tying knots - the gorilla and the weaver bird.
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Thief knot
Fisherman's knot
Highwayman's hitch
Overhand knot
The word "knot" is related to words such as knob, knoll and knuckle, both in spelling and meaning. It even has very similar spelling in German (knoten), Dutch (knot) and Swedish (knut).
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Reef knot
This one is also called the square knot, or the Hercules knot - a very common knot used for securing a line around an object. You've probably used this one without even realizing it.
Figure-of-eight knot
Transom knot
Hunter's bend
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Sheet bend
Thief knot
Sailors would use a thief knot to tie together their sacks. Then when a careless thief came along, they would retie a square knot and the sailor would know his bag had been tampered with. Like the square knot, this is not a reliable knot for support.
Barrel hitch
Spanish bowline
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Figure-of-eight knot
Hunter's Bend
Munter hitch
Fisherman's knot
The fisherman's knot is meant to attach two lines together. It is easy to tie, even with cold, wet hands, hence it is popular among fisherman.
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Transom knot
Figure-of-eight knot
The Incas were known to use knots as a form of communication. With no written language, some historians believe that they used knots as a system of numbers. Others believe they developed a "written" language of knots.
Heaving line knot
Surgeon's knot
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Water knot
The water knot is useful if you have flat lines such as tape or leather strands. Climbers use it to connect webbing and make slings.
Prusik knot
Double grinner knot
Clove hitch, made on a ring
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Transom knot
If you are looking to tie two linear object at a right angle, then the transom knot is the "right" one for you. This is a great knot to use when making a kite.
Angler's loop
Sheet bend
Spanish bowline
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Half hitch
Figure-of-eight bend
Hunter's bend
A "bend" refers to a knot that ties two ends together. If you are having trouble undoing a knot, try rolling it against a hard surface with the palm of your hand.
Climber's bowline
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Carrick bend
Heaving line knot
The function is in the name. Heaving knots are used to add more weight to the end of a rope or line and make it easier to "heave" or throw into place.
Cow hitch
Running bowline
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Timber hitch
Hangman's knot
Fisherman's bend
Surgeon's knot
Even though its name implies a medical procedure, the surgeon's knot is more often used in fishing. Rare will you find a surgeon who actually used this knot on patients.
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Nose
Sheepshank
Angler's loop
For a more permanent loop fixture, the angler's loop may be your choice. It is a jamming knot, meaning it is very tight and extremely difficult to untie.
Zeppelin bent
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Running bowline
Timber hitch
Farmer's loop
Climber's bowline
King of the knots! Or so they say. The climber's bowline is one of the most important knots, although its use is controversial among some climbers. It is easy to tie, easy to untie - even after it has withstood a load. It forms a fixed loop at the end of a rope or line that can be used to loop around an object.
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Timber hitch
A timber hitch is used by lumberjacks to move logs. But that's not all it can be used for. A timber hitch can be tied around cylindrical objects.
Grinner knot
Clove hitch, dropped over a post
Anchor bend
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Double loop knot
Barrel hitch
Munter hitch
Hangman's knot
If Queen Elizabeth I were calling for you to wear the collar, you would be smart to run and hide. This knot, tied in a rope to wrap around one's neck for a hanging, was called the collar in Elizabethan times.
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Bachmann knott
Noose
The noose has a dark history of lynching and threat to minorities and accused criminals.
Fisherman's bend
Sheepshank
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Blood loop dropper knot
Turle knot
Fisherman's bend
Tests have shown that when you tie a knot in a rope or line, the rope or line then weakens. They tend to break where the knot is tied, when dropped or tugged hard.
Italian hitch
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Round turn end two half hitches
Bowline
There are different types of bowline knots, but it is one of the oldest designs. It is said to have first been noted in John Smith's writing in the early 1600s.
Slipper eight loop
Cleat
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Taut-line hitch
Honda knot
Loop knot
Knots have a wide variety of uses: adjusting rope length, climbing, sailing, dragging and pulling, joining and even decoration.
Needle knot
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Constrictor knot
Controversy surrounds the origins of this knot. Clifford Ashley claims to have invented this knot 25 years before including it in his book, "The Ashley Book of Knots." However, other evidence suggests the constrictor knot existed by another name and is shown in The Book of Knots written by Tom Bowling in 1886.
Farmer's loop
Timber hitch
Cow hitch
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Italian hitch
A hitch is a knot that attaches to a fixed object such as a pole or rail. You may have heard the old west term "hitching post," when cowboys would tie up there horses.
Rolling hitch
Clove hitch
Grinner knot
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Buntline hitch
Half tucked blood knot
The "bitter end" refers to the working end of a rope. Much of the terminology for knots and ropes comes from sailors, as they used lots of ropes and knots to run their ships.
Needle knot
Prusik knot
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Sheet bend
Cat's paw
Cat's paw is used to connect a rope to an object. It's also known as the offshore swivel knot.
Hangman's knot
Prusik knot
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Turle knot
Water knot
Farmer's loop
Blood loop dropper knot
A dropper loop can help you to multitask. When fishing, this knot is used to place multiple hooks on one line.
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Anchor bend
Clove hitch
Turle knot
The turle knot is named for Major William Greer Turle, a famous fisherman who claimed not to have invented the knot, but simply used it. Talk about humble beginnings.
Distel hitch
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Double loop knot
Grinner knot
If you want to get technical about things, there are three categories for ways of fastening things. Knots is one, the other two are hitches and bends. However, hitches and bends are commonly and casually referred to as knots as well.
Honda knot
Round turn end two half hitches
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Needle knot
Bachmann knot
Clove hitch, dropped over a post
For every knot, there are variations. Some of these variations give the knot a different name. But some just make the knot stronger. You can create a clove hitch by stacking loops or by using half hitches.
Prusik knot
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Trilene knot
Honda knot
Clove hitch, made on a ring
Anchor bend
Anchor bends are used to attach lines to rings. "Bend" archaic definition was "to tie," which is probably why many knots are referred to as bends.
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Prusik knot
Hunters use this knot in tree stands to ascend and descend their structure.
Transom knot
Cow hitch
Carrick bend
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Barrel hitch
Italian hitch
Sheepshank
Clove hitch, made on a ring
Seizing is a term that refers to attaching two pieces of rope together side by side. Splicing refers to unbraidng two ropes then rejoining them by re-weaving the strands of the ropes together - you've probably heard the same term when referring to connecting wires.
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Overhand loop
This loop has actually been disapproved by the Boy Scouts of America because it is often tied in place of a bowline, when it shouldn't be. The advantage to this loop is that you can tie it anywhere on the rope - there is no need for an end.
Highwayman's hitch
Buntline hitch
Fisherman's knot
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Hunter's bend
Highwayman's hitch
Legend has that this knot was one used by stagecoach robbers. They could tie their horse to the stagecoach and make a quick getaway by simply pulling on the loose end and releasing the knot.
Taut-line hitch
Half hitch
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Which knot is shown in this image?
Overhand knot
Three-part-crown knot
The crown knot may look a bit familiar. The paracord fashion trend (wearing a paracord bracelet) made its way through some parts of the U.S. in the early 2000s. Those paracords are tied with crown knots.
Reef knot
Capsized reef knot
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You Got:
/45
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