How to Tie a Knot: 7 Essential Knots

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By ShowMeStepByStepPublished September 8, 2026Updated September 9, 2026

Most people know exactly one knot, the one they tie their shoes with, and reach for it for everything. It slips off a post, it jams on a bundle and it will not hold a tent in the wind. Seven knots cover nearly every job you will meet: binding, hitching to a post, joining two ropes, a loop that does not slip, and a loop you can adjust.

This walkthrough follows InnerBark Outdoors, whose seven-knot video has been watched nineteen million times, which is about as good a sign as there is that the set is the right one. Each knot is one step below, tied slowly with two-colour rope so you can see which strand goes where.

Which knot should you use?

Job	Knot	Why
Tie two ends of one rope round a bundle	Square knot	Flat, holds under steady tension, easy to untie
Fasten a line to a post or rail, quickly	Clove hitch	Two loops and it is on; adjusts along the post
Join two ropes, especially different sizes	Sheet bend	The best knot for tying two ropes together; a square knot slips here
A fixed loop that will not slip or jam	Bowline	The loop knot; unties easily even after a heavy load
A fixed loop for climbing or anything critical	Figure 8 loop	Strongest of the loops, easy to check, harder to untie
Tie off a line that pulls hard or swings	Round turn and two half hitches	The turn takes the load; can be tied and untied under strain
A loop you can tighten or loosen: tents, tarps, clotheslines	Taut-line hitch	The adjustable knot; slides and holds

Rope words you will see below

Working end: the end of the rope you are tying with.
Standing part: the rest of the rope, the part under load.
Bight: a U-shaped fold in the rope that does not cross itself.
Loop: a bight that does cross itself.
Hitch: a knot that ties a rope to something else. Bend: a knot that joins two ropes. Binding knot: a knot that ties a rope round something.
Dress: arrange the strands so they lie flat and parallel before tightening. An undressed knot is weaker and jams.

What is the strongest knot?

For a loop, the figure 8 keeps the most of a rope's strength, which is why climbers use it. For joining two ropes, a double sheet bend or a double fisherman's. For a hitch under a heavy pull, the round turn and two half hitches, because the round turn spreads the load over the post before any knot has to hold it. The bowline is not the strongest loop but it is the most useful one, because it never jams.

Knots for a tent

A tent or tarp needs three of these. Bowline at the top of a guy line to make a loop for the tarp grommet, taut-line hitch at the stake end so you can tension it, and a round turn and two half hitches if you are tying a ridgeline to a tree.

The knots this page builds on

Two of the seven have their own deeper pages: the bowline with three methods, and the clove hitch with six variations. The half hitch and the macrame square knot are the craft versions of two knots here, and the sliding bracelet knot is an adjustable knot in thin cord. For neckwear rather than rope, see how to tie a tie.

Step-by-Step Guide

7 steps · about 8 minutes.Check off each step as you go and your progress saves automatically.

Tie a Square Knot

0:42

The square knot, also called the reef knot, is the one for tying two ends of the same line around something: a bundle, a bandage, the neck of a sack.

Hold one end in each hand. Cross right over left and tuck it under. Now cross left over right and tuck it under. Pull all four ends and the knot snugs down flat and symmetrical, with both tails lying parallel to the lines they came from.

If the tails stick out at right angles you tied a granny knot, which slips. Undo it and reverse the second cross.

Tip

Say it as you tie it: right over left, left over right. The rhyme is the whole trick, and it is the reason the knot comes out square instead of granny.

Used in this step550 paracord 100 ft 3/8 inch utility rope

Tie a Clove Hitch

1:20

A clove hitch fastens a line to a post, a rail or a stake, and it is the fastest hitch to tie from the middle of a rope.

Take the rope in one hand and twist it away from you to form a loop. Do exactly the same twist again to form a second loop. Set the second loop on top of the first, so both ends sit in the middle, then drop the pair over the post and pull tight.

Tying from the end instead: wrap the line round the post below the working part, bring it round once more above it, and pass the end under that last wrap. The wraps should lie neatly side by side.

The full write-up, with three methods and six variations, is at how to tie a clove hitch.

Tip

A clove hitch can roll loose if the load swings. Back it up with a half hitch on the tail if anything is going to move.

Used in this step3/8 inch utility rope wooden dowel rod 1 inch

Tie a Sheet Bend

2:50

When you need to join two ropes, especially two of different thickness, the sheet bend is the knot. A square knot will slip apart on mismatched lines. This will not.

Fold a bight in the thicker rope, a U shape held in one hand. Bring the thinner rope up through the bight from underneath, take it round behind both legs of the U, and tuck it under itself where it came up. Pull the standing parts to set it.

For extra security, take the thin rope round and under one more time before tightening. That is a double sheet bend, and it still shakes loose in a second when you want it undone.

Tip

Both tails should finish on the same side of the knot. If one is on top and one underneath, it is a left-handed sheet bend and it can slip.

Used in this step550 paracord 100 ft 8mm static rope

Tie a Bowline

3:50

The bowline makes a fixed loop at the end of a line that will not tighten under load and will not jam. Boats, tarps, rescue lines, hanging a bucket: this is the loop knot you want.

Make a small overhand loop in the standing line, with the working part on top. Bring the free end up through the loop from underneath, take it round behind the standing line, and pass it back down through the loop the way it came. Hold the loop and the standing line and pull to tighten.

The fast version is a wrist flick. Lay the free end across the standing line, roll your wrist so the small loop forms around it, then take the end round and back through. With practice it is a one-handed knot.

Three ways to tie it are at how to tie a bowline knot.

Tip

Check it before you trust it: the free end should sit inside the loop, next to the standing line, not outside it.

Used in this step8mm static rope climbing rope 30 ft

Tie a Figure 8 Loop

5:05

The figure 8 loop is the other fixed loop, and the one climbers use, because it is very hard to tie wrong and easy to inspect. It holds better than a bowline under a shifting load, at the cost of being harder to untie afterwards.

Fold a bight and drape it over your hand. Wrap the bight round the front of your hand, behind, and fish it through the eye it made. Pull it up and you have a figure 8 with a loop at the end. Or twist the bight twice and pass it through the back, which makes the same knot.

To tie it through a ring or a fixed anchor, tie a single figure 8 in one strand, pass the end through the ring, then follow the original 8 back through from the exit. That is the figure 8 follow-through.

Tip

Dress the knot so every strand lies flat and parallel before you load it. A crossed strand weakens it and makes it lock up.

Used in this stepclimbing rope 30 ft locking carabiner

Tie a Round Turn and Two Half Hitches

6:12

This is the hitch for tying a line to a rail, a ring or a tree when the load is going to pull hard or swing. The round turn takes the strain, the two half hitches lock it off, and it can be tied and untied under load.

Take the line all the way round the post and round again, so the rope has made a full turn and a bit. That is the round turn. Now bring the free end under the standing line, over it, and through the loop that forms. That is one half hitch. Do exactly the same thing again for the second.

Both half hitches should go the same direction, so they stack into a neat clove hitch around the standing line.

The single half hitch on its own is at how to tie a half hitch knot.

Tip

Two half hitches tied in opposite directions make a cow hitch, which is weaker. Keep both going the same way.

Used in this step3/8 inch utility rope heavy duty rope hooks

Tie a Taut-Line Hitch

7:05

The taut-line hitch is an adjustable loop. Once it is tied you slide the knot up and down the line to change the tension, and it holds wherever you leave it. Tent guy lines, tarp ridgelines and clotheslines all want this knot.

Pass the end round the stake or ring and back alongside the standing line. Form a loop and make two wraps inside it, working toward the anchor. Then make one more wrap on the outside of the loop, in the same direction, and pass the end through.

You know it is right when the loop runs one way and the tail runs the other. Grab the knot and slide it: toward the stake to slacken, away to tighten.

Tip

Slippery rope, like new nylon guy line, needs a third wrap inside the loop or the hitch will creep under wind load.

Used in this stepreflective tent guy line tent stakes guy line tensioners

Keep going

How to Do Knotless Box Braids at Home

Products Used

550 paracord 100 ftView 3/8 inch utility ropeView wooden dowel rod 1 inchView 8mm static ropeView climbing rope 30 ftView locking carabinerView heavy duty rope hooksView reflective tent guy lineView tent stakesView guy line tensionersView

Your Guide

InnerBark Outdoors

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Did the lesson stick? Start with this one.

5 questions covering what you just read. No signup, no score saved, and you can stop after this one.

Question 1 of 5

Which knot joins two ropes of different thickness?

Quick reference

Key takeaways from How to Tie a Knot: 7 Essential Knots

5 questions, answers, and one-line explanations. Tap to expand.

1.Which knot joins two ropes of different thickness?
Answer: Sheet bend
A square knot slips apart on mismatched lines, so the sheet bend is the join to use.
2.You need a fixed loop that will not tighten under load. Which knot?
Answer: Bowline
The bowline holds its loop size under load and still unties afterwards.
3.What tells you a square knot went wrong?
Answer: The tails stick out at right angles
Tails poking out sideways mean you tied a granny knot, which slips.
4.Why do climbers favour the figure 8 loop over the bowline?
Answer: It is hard to tie wrong and easy to inspect
The figure 8 holds under a shifting load and a wrong one is obvious at a glance.
5.Your tarp ridgeline keeps going slack. Which knot lets you retension it without retying?
Answer: Taut-line hitch
The taut-line hitch slides along the standing line and holds wherever you leave it.

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