Common Type of Tie Knots

There are tons of ways to tie a necktie. Although I will cover the most used tie knots here is a list of tie knots just to educate you what’s out there.

List of Tie Knots:

  1. Clip-on (permanently knotted tie… definitely for the lazy. Don’t get caught wearing one)
  2. Four-in-hand (aka the schoolboy knot)
  3. Shelby knot
  4. Reverse Shelby (for the wild and creative)
  5. Half Windsor (used for business and semi-formal)
  6. Windsor knot (generally used for business and formal)
  7. The Small knot (similar to the school boy knot)

The 3 most common tie knots from the list above are the Windsor, the half-Windsor, and the schoolboy tie (aka four-in-hand).

The Windsor Knot

You can never go wrong with a Windsor tie knot! It suits mainly formal and business occasions but can be used for semi-formal occasions as well. Remember this particular knot is quite large so use it accordingly. See how tie up a Windsor knot below.

The Half Windsor

The half-Windsor is a bit smaller than the Windsor. The knot is a bit easier to tie and to some people, the knot simply looks better!

The Schoolboy Tie

Is the most simplest tie knot around. The knot is very narrow and a bit unbalanced but is quick to execute for those last minute meetings!