Popular Ways to Tie a Necktie

Whether you are new to wearing ties or are a necktie aficionado the tips below will help you master all the popular necktie knots. The tie knots listed below are sorted by difficulty, starting with the popular and easy to master Four-in-Hand knot, and ending with the more challenging dimpled double Windsor knot. All you need to get started is a necktie, a dress shirt, a mirror, and a little bit of patience. Also, make sure that your hands are clean and well manicured in order to protect the delicate silk fabric of your necktie.

Besides ways to tie a necktie you may also want to view our tutorial on How to Tie a Bow Tie, How to Tie an Ascot, as well as How to Fold a Handkerchief.

How to Tie a Four in Hand Knot

The Four-in-Hand is the perfect tie knot for the novice tie wearer. The knot is easy to tie, holds a good shape and will go well with most shirt collars and necktie styles. The Four in Hand is actually the oldest of all the popular tie knots that are still in common use today.

The Four in Hand knot was invented by British horsemen during the end of the 19th century who tied their scarves with one hand while holding the reigns of the four horses drawing the carriage in the other – hence the name four in hand. Although this knot is easy enough to be tied with one hand it is still a popular and fashionable tie knots that is a popular choice even for the necktie aficionado.

The Four in Hand is slightly smaller, is somewhat asymmetrical, and has a longish shape. IT is best suited for traditional striped ties, such as British regimental ties, and formal solid color ties The Four in Hand looks best when combined with dress shirts that have a narrow to medium collar spread or have button down collars.

Four in Hand Instructions:

How to Tie a Four-In-Hand-Knot

How to Tie a Four-In-Hand-Knot

  1. Flip up your collar, button down the top button, and lay the necktie around your neck so that the wide end of the tie hangs 5-6 inches lower than the narrow end. Make sure that the inseam of the tie faces you body.

  2. Place the wide end of the necktie over the narrow end, and wrap around. Hold the narrow end down with your other hand.

  3. Then, wrap the wide end over the narrow end. Don’t pull it tight, but create a loop at front of the unfinished tie knot.

  4. Then, loop the wide end of the tie through the gap between unfinished tie knot and your collar. Then take this wide end of the tie and pull it through the loop you created on step #3.

  5. Give the Four-in-Hand knot some final adjustment, pull it tight, center it between the collars, and flip the collar back down. You are done!

 

Tying a Half Windsor Knot

The half Windsor knot is the smaller brother of the popular Windsor knot - also known as Double Windsor or Full Windsor knot (please scroll down for instructions). The half Windsor is, just like the Four in Hand knot, a smaller tie knot. When compared to the Four-in-Hand, the half Windsor is a little thicker and a touch wider. Tie this type of knot for medium-width collar spread dress shirts.

Half-Windsor Knot Instructions:

How to Tie a Half-Windsor-Knot

How to Tie a Half-Windsor-Knot

  1. As with all tie knots: Flip up your collars, button the town button and lay the tie around your neck. The wide end of the tie should hang about 5-6 inches lower than the narrow and, and the inside of the tie should have your body.

  2. Loop the wide end of the tie thorough the gap between neck and necktie.

  3. Pull the wide end of the tie back over to the front. Pull it slightly tight. Then, take this end of the tie and wrap back behind the narrow end of the tie.

  4. Then, wrap the wide end of the necktie back over the front of the narrow end. Don’t pull tight but create a loop at the front of the unfinished knot.

  5. Just like you did in step # 2, pull the wide end of the tie in between your collar and the tie. Then, pull the wide end thorough the loop you created in step #4.

  6. Give the half-Windsor knot a final adjustment and flip down your collars. Done!

 

How to Tie a Necktie with a Kent Knot

The Kent-knot is a slightly modified version of the Four-in-Hand knot. It is one of the smallest tie knots making it a perfect choice for very thick ties worn with dress shirts that have a narrow collar spread. Since tying this necktie knot required much less of the tie’s length, it is also a good choice knot for big & tall men wearing a regular length tie – although men taller than 6 foot 3 inches are better off wearing Extra Long Ties.

Kent Necktie Knot Instructions:

How to Tie a Kent-Knot

How to Tie a Kent-Knot

  1. Lay the necktie around your neck so that the wide end hangs about 4-5 inches lower than the narrow end. Start by having the inside of your tie face your body, but then flip the wide side of the tie over so that the stitching is showing.

  2. Take the wide end of the tie and cross it behind the narrow end.

  3. Now take the wide end of the tie and loop it over the narrow end. The “good side” of the necktie should be showing now.

  4. Wrap the wide end of your necktie between your neck and the tie and pull through the loop.

  5. Slightly pull tight, center the knot, and flip over you collars. Finished!

How to Tie the Double Windsor Knot

The double Windsor knot, named after the Duke of Windsor, is one of the most popular tie knots, and it is also the type of knot that is most commonly tied the wrong way. If you like the symmetric look, as well as a larger tie knot, then the Double Windsor will the right knot for you. It is a perfect knot for wide-spread collar dress shirts.

Since this type of knot needs two wrappings, more length of the tie is needed. This can make it challenging to tie the tie to the right length – so that the tip of the tie ends near the center of your belt buckle. This is especially the case when tall men or men with a larger neck size try to tie a double Windsor knot with a regular length tie. If this sounds familiar to you then you may want to consider wearing XL length ties.

Double Windsor Knot Instructions:

How to Tie a Double-Windsor-Knot

How to Tie a Double-Windsor-Knot

  1. Lay the tie around your neck so that the wide end of your tie hangs down about 6-7 inches longer than the narrow end. Cross the wide end over the narrow end.

  2. Loop the necktie through the gap between neck and unfinished tie knot. Pull it all the way around and then back behind the narrow end.

  3. Now do the same thing on the other side.

  4. Wrap the wide end of the tie back over to the front.

  5. Pull the wide end back through in between neck and unfinished knot. Don’t pull tight, but create a loop in front of the knot.

  6. Pull the wide end of the tie through this loop.

  7. Pull tight and give the knot a final adjustment. And you are done!

How to Tie a Prince Albert Knot

The Prince Albert knot is, just like the Full Windsor knot, a so-called double knot that required at least two wrappings. But unlike the double Windsor, the Prince Albert knot is wrapped in the same direction making the knot slightly longer and a little more asymmetric looking. It is a perfect tie knot for thinner neckties, or for shorter men that need a shorter length tie.

Prince Albert Tie Knot Instructions:

How to Tie a Prince-Albert-Knot

How to Tie a Prince-Albert-Knot

  1. Since this tie requires 2+ wrappings (number of wrappings is personal preference) the wide end of the tie needs to hang much lower than the narrow en.

  2. Place the wide end over the narrow end and wrap around. Do this twice or more. The more wrappings the larger the tie knot will be.

  3. On the final wrapping create a loop in front of the finished necktie knot. Take the wide end of the tie and pull it in between your neck and the tie and through the loop.

  4. Pull slightly tight, give a final adjustment, and flip down the collars. Finished!

 

How to Make a Dimple in Your Necktie Knot

The true necktie aficionado takes his time when tying his ties. The knot has to be perfect. What makes a tie knot perfect? First of all the type of knot chosen has to match the tie design, as well as the collar shape of the dress shirt. In addition, the perfect knot has a dimpled look – meaning it has a crevice right where the tie goes inside of the knot.

To make a dimpled tie knot is actually quite easy. During the final step of your tie knot, right before tightening, slide a finger inside the loop and carefully fold the tie along the center. Fold the tie all the way up through the knot to ensure the dimple stays in place. Then, carefully tighten the knot while pulling out your finger. With a little bit of practice it really is that simple. If you still have difficulty making a dimple after several attempts, then try it with a different necktie. Different fabric weaves make some ties better suited for a dimpled tie knot than others.