You need more than just knowing your shoe size to ensure a comfortable fit. Width is also important, but the numbers and letters used to describe width need to be made clearer.
Most individuals have feet that are not perfectly formed. Look at how your shoes feel when you wear them to determine if your feet are narrow, normal, or wide. Do they feel loose in the footbed? Do they feel tight, constricted, or painful?
Maybe they feel fine.
Measure your feet. With your measurements handy, refer to the Women’s Shoe Sizes and Widths Chart. Your width will help you determine whether your feet are narrow, wide, etc.
But knowing your feet are narrow, wide, extra wide, etc., isn’t enough. Shoe manufacturers use a slew of letters and numbers to size widths.
B, 2A, C, EE, M… What do they all mean?
While the following chart is not all-inclusive—you may come across sizes like 5A or 6E—this will give you a good overall idea of how the width markings system works:
Women’s Shoe Width Size Chart:
| X-Narrow/Slim | Narrow | Medium | Wide | X-Wide | XX-Wide |
| 4A | 2A | B | C | E | 3E |
| 3A | AA | M | D | 2E | EEE |
| AAA | N | – | W | EE | 4E |
| S | A | – | – | WW | XXW |
| – | – | – | – | XW | – |
Helpful Tips:
Generally, the more letters there are, the more extreme the fit. For example, AAAA, or 4A, is narrower than AAA, or 3A. EEEE, or 4E, is wider than EEE, or 3E.
The shoe industry definitely needs to make determining your exact measurements easier. If you’ve tried measuring your feet yourself and are still trying to figure out your true size, the best thing you can do is visit a shoe store and get properly sized by a knowledgeable salesperson.
You can pick up a new pair of shoes while you’re at it!
Men: check out the Men’s Shoe Width Size Chart.
If you want to figure out your own shoe size or width, the following articles will help:
Now that you know your exact size, where can you find the perfect shoes? Check out these articles for some helpful tips:
