What makes a Second World War battleship fast

Are North Carolina, South Dakota, and King George V truly fast battleships despite their speed gap to cruisers?

Yes in contemporary battleship terms; 28 knots marks the faster group, and their internal arrangement also differs from both traditional battleships and cruising battlecruisers.

The label is relative to the battleship population, which still included new ships below 28 knots. Roughly 28 knots marks the dividing line because slower contemporary battleships remained in construction and service. Internal design matters too: fast battleships loosen the dense subdivision of traditional battleships, while battlecruisers devote still more volume to range, stores, and habitability. Speed alone does not fully describe the type.