Significance Pore translocation, the driven passage of molecules through narrow channels, has become an important tool for probing DNA properties. In a recent breakthrough experiment, this technique was used to detect knots that form spontaneously in DNA filaments and can hence impact their in vivo functionality. Here, by using an accurate model, we simulate the translocation of knotted DNA, expose its unexpectedly rich phenomenology, and clarify the implications for experiments. We show that knot translocation occurs in two possible modes, depending on the knot initial position and size. These properties also account for the typically late occurrence of the knot passage event. Finally, the passage duration is found to depend more on the translocation velocity of the knot than its size.