E, EE, D, and DD are all letters indicating width sizes in shoes. But what does shoe width E, EE, EE, D, and DD mean? Let’s discover them all in this article.
As you might all know, shoe sizes in the United States are measured in width and length. Generally speaking, there are 9 widths, ranging from 3A/AAA (narrowest width) to 3E/EEE (widest width). And for female shoes, B is considered the medium width, while D is seen as standard/medium width for men. Shoe width is really important as it will contribute to your fit and comfort.
In more detail, the narrowest to widest widths of shoe sizes in the United States are 3A/AAA, 2A/AA, A, B, C, D, E, 2E/EE, and 3E/EEE. As you can see, only the size litters A and E are broken down into sub-sizes. But sometimes, in rare cases, you will see DD in shoe width. In particular, at the smallest end (letter A), extra letters are added to represent a narrower width. On the other hand, the more letter E is added, the wider the shoe width is.
Here in this article, I will discuss the letters E, D, and their attributes. So, what does shoe width E, EE, D, and DD mean? Let’s discover it right now.
Understanding Shoe Width. What Does It Mean?
Before going through the meaning of E, EE, D, and DD in shoe width, let’s uncover the meaning of shoe width first. This is because shoe width sizes are a crucial element contributing to the perfect fit and comfort of your feet. If you feel comfortable in length but still feel a little bit cramped at the front of your foot or toe box area, it might be a sign of too-small shoes. So, it is always advisable and essential to consider shoe widths.
As mentioned previously, the standard shoe sizes of width in the United States include 9 different sizes, ranging from size 3A/AAA to 3E/EEE. Accordingly, the narrowest shoe size is 3A/AAA, while 3E/EEE is the widest size. In the middle of this range, size B is normal/medium width for women’s shoe sizes, while size D is considered standard/medium for males’ shoe sizes.
Below are the details of the 9 shoe width sizes in the United States’ shoes:
AAA (3A): The narrowest shoe width size
AA (2A): Narrower than 3A
A: Narrow shoe width size
B: Medium shoe width size for women
C: Average shoe width size
D: Medium shoe width size for men
E: Wide shoe width size
EE (2E): Wider than E
EEE (3E): The widest shoe width size
What Does Shoe Width D Mean?
While D-width is seen as a standard/normal shoe width for men, it is wide when it comes to ladies’ shoe width sizes. The D width is usually measured from 3 to 5 inches across the area of your foot’s ball. In addition, it can be dependent on your shoe size too. For example, a pair of size 10D men’s shoes is 4 inches wide, but it is 4.5 inches wide 14D men’s shoes.
What Does Shoe Width DD Mean?
So, now you know that D width means medium for males’ shoes and wide for ladies’ shoes. But what about DD width? In fact, this width shoe size is not really common. But as a general principle, you can consider that DD width is much wider than D width. It basically has 2 letters D, so it will be wider than the shoes with D width.
What Does Shoe Width E Mean?
A pair of shoes with E width is seen as wide for males’ shoes and extra wide for females’ shoes. It is also sized at the bottom of your foot’s ball area, which usually measures from 3.2 to 5.2 inches, varying on your foot size. For instance, a size 10E in men’s shoes is 4.2 inches wide, whereas size 14E in males’ shoes measures 4.7 inches wide.
What Does Shoe Width EE Mean?
As mentioned above, E width is considered wide for men’s and extra wide for women’s shoes. And when you add an extra E letter, this case is EE, you will get a wider shoe width size. Therefore, EE-width shoes are extra wide for both males and females. However, not many shoe companies offer EE/2E widths, typically when it comes to females’ shoes, as they are extremely wide. Fortunately, this width option has been improved over the last 10 years. Or at least, some manufacturers partly change this to adapt to women’s increasingly wide foot size.
Usually, EE/2E shoe widths are sized from 3.4 to 5.4 inches across the lower of your foot’s ball area, which is dependent on foot and shoe size.
Can Both Women and Men Wear D-Width Shoes?
As I mentioned earlier, a pair of shoes with D width is measured as a medium for males. On the other hand, any women’s shoes labeled as D width is considered wide. Let me take an easy example of D-width running shoes for ladies and males.
If you are finding a pair of running shoes for a man with narrow width, then you probably fit the D-width running shoes for women. This is because the sneakers might be seen as narrow width for men’s running shoes, but it is wide when it comes to women’s running shoes.
Having said that, a woman who usually wears a pair of wide-width running shoes for women can also fit D-width running shoes for men. It is simply that these shoes are viewed as wide for females’ running shoes.
Below is an informative video that tells you more about the different shoe sizing measurements and shoe widths. This way, you will get a better awareness of choosing the right shoe width when buying shoes online and at local stores as well.
Do All Shoe Brands Offer D-Width Shoes?
Unfortunately, not all shoe companies provide the market with shoes having a D width. It is the fact that some sneaker brands have their own ways or standards when it comes to shoe length and width measurements. Generally speaking, almost all European shoe companies and several US shoe manufacturers only offer standard/medium shoe width measurements.
This was indeed the case with most existing shoe brands in the past. However, at present, a lot of common shoe brands, such as Clarks, New Balance, ASICS, etc., provide many width options for most of their sneakers, boots, and shoe lines. As a result, you now can opt for a suitable width ranging from 3A/AAA to 2E/EE, of course, including D width, in most shoe brands worldwide.
Additional Tips About Shoe Width
It is best to measure your foot at a shoe store to get the best accurate shoe width. Of course, you can still get your feet measured at home. You should also measure both of your feet as one foot might be narrower or wider than the other. In addition, measure your feet in the late afternoon or after some walk, workouts, etc. Because at this time, your feet tend to be a little bit larger than normal, you are likely to choose the more accurate shoe width.
But the most critical thing to remember is that your feet can still increase even after you don’t grow up anymore. There are different reasons for this, including water retention, weight gain, life events like pregnancy, etc.
What’s more, you should try on different styles and brands of shoes. Don’t forget to walk around or even jump in your new shoes. At the end of the day, all you need is a pair of shoes that comfort and support your feet, not constrict them.
Conclusion
So, what does shoe width E, EE, D, And DD mean? This question is now answered, and I hope that it is helpful in your process of choosing the right shoe width. In brief, E denotes wide for men’s shoes and extra wide for women’s shoes. On the other hand, D is viewed as standard width for males’ shoes but wide for females’ shoes.
Regarding shoe widths EE and DD, the more letters added after E and D, the wider the shoe width is. So, EE shoe width means extra wide for men and is much wider than E width. And the same is applied to DD shoe width, though it is not really common.
