How to Tie a Tie: Four-in-Hand

Electric Warthogs and 3 other contributors

Last updated on March 13, 2018

1 - 5 minutes

Easy

Community-Contributed Guide

Introduction

Go to step 1

Active End: The end of the tie that will be used to tie the knot. This can be either the wide end or narrow end of the tie depending on the tie knot.

Shirt Collar: A band of material around the neck of a shirt that can either be folded or unfolded.

Neck Loop: The loop of the tie that goes around the collar.

Keeper Loop: A piece of fabric that is sewn onto the underside of the wide end of the tie that can be used to keep the narrow end of the tie hidden.

Four-in-Hand: A simple and common knot that is incredibly versatile and appropriate for many different occasions.

What you need

Parts

Neck Tie

Step 1 Preparation

How to Tie a Tie: Four-in-Hand, Preparation: step 1, image 1 of 1

Fold the collar of your shirt up.

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Step 2

Wrap the tie around the back of your neck with the narrow end on the left side of your body and the wide end on the right side.
The wide end of the tie will be your active end.
Note: The narrow end of the tie should be around the height of your belly button or a little higher. It may need to adjusted for personal height.

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Step 3 Tying

How to Tie a Tie: Four-in-Hand, Tying: step 3, image 1 of 1

Take the active end and cross it over the narrow end, so that it points to the left.
Note: be sure that the tie always lays flat so there are no twists in the fabric.

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Step 4

Wrap active end under the narrow end, so that it now points to the right.

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Step 5

Wrap active end over the narrow end, so that it now points to the left.
Note: leave this wrap a little loose, as it will be used in step 7.

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Step 6

Pull the active end up through the neck loop, so that it now points up.

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Step 7

Pull the active end down through the wrap you created in step 5 (see second picture).

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Step 8 Finishing

How to Tie a Tie: Four-in-Hand, Finishing: step 8, image 1 of 1

Tighten the knot by pulling down on the active end and up on the knot, adjusting for size and evenness.

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Step 9

Tighten the neck loop by pulling down on the narrow end of the tie and sliding the knot up toward your neck.

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Step 10

Tuck the narrow end of the tie through the keeper loop.
Note: if the narrow end is too long, a simple solution lies in tucking the narrow end between two buttons of your shirt.
Fold your collar down when the knot is finished.