A process for adaptive knock control for an internal combustion engine serves to retard the firing angle of an internal combustion engine when knocking occurs and then to advance the firing angle again. At the same time, the operation of the internal combustion engine is subdivided into various operating ranges; on leaving an operating range, a value is always saved as a retardation of the firing angle determined during operation in this range, and when starting up again in this range with load dynamics and/or speed dynamics also occurring at the same time, this saved value is output as the starting value for operation in this new operating range.