Height Comparison: Compare Heights Side by Side

The height comparison tool lets you line up to four people side by side, with silhouettes drawn to scale, and shows exactly how much shorter each person is than the tallest one, in inches or centimeters. It's useful for comparing yourself with friends, siblings, a partner or a celebrity, or for seeing how much you've grown since last year.

How to use the height comparison tool

1. Pick your units. Switch between feet and inches or centimeters at any time; heights already entered are converted for you.
2. Add up to four people. Give each one a name and choose a male or female silhouette.
3. Enter each height. The chart redraws with every person at the correct relative height on a scaled grid.
4. Read the differences. Below the chart, you'll see how much shorter each person is than the tallest, plus their height as a percentage of the tallest person's.

For the most accurate comparison, use measured heights taken the same way for everyone (see the steps below), not the number someone remembers.

How the height difference calculator works

The tool converts every height to centimeters (1 inch = exactly 2.54 cm), subtracts each person's height from the tallest one, and shows the result in the units you picked. For example, 6'0" (182.9 cm) compared with 5'7" (170.2 cm) is a difference of 5 inches (12.7 cm).

The silhouettes are scaled to each person's total height, so the gap you see is accurate. Body shape and proportions are generic, though, so a real person with long legs or a short torso will look a little different.

Height chart: feet and inches to centimeters

Use this height chart to convert common heights and see where they fall among US adults. Percentiles come from CDC measurements of adults 20 and older (August 2021–August 2023).

The average American man is 68.9 inches (about 5'9", 175 cm) and the average woman is 63.5 inches (about 5'3.5", 161 cm), a gap of about 5.4 inches (14 cm). For full percentile tables, see the average height for men and average height for women. For kids and teens, use average height by age or the height percentile calculator, since a "normal" height changes every year while you're growing.

How to measure your height accurately at home

These steps follow the CDC's guidance for measuring at home:

1. Take off shoes, bulky clothing, hats and hair accessories, and undo hairstyles that add height.
2. Stand on a hard floor (tile or wood, not carpet) against a flat wall with no molding.
3. Keep feet flat and together, heels against the wall, legs straight, arms at your sides and shoulders level.
4. Look straight ahead. Your head, shoulders, buttocks and heels should touch the wall if your body shape allows.
5. Have a helper lower a flat, rigid object, such as a hardcover book or ruler, until it rests firmly on the crown of your head, at a right angle to the wall.
6. With their eyes level with the book, the helper lightly marks the wall at its bottom edge.
7. Measure from the floor to the mark with a metal tape measure and record it to the nearest 1/8 inch or 0.1 cm.

Measure everyone at about the same time of day so the comparison is fair.

Why measured height differs from self-reported height

If someone's "official" height doesn't match the chart, there are a few common reasons:

• People round up. A study of national survey data found that men overstate their height by about half an inch (1.2 cm) on average and women by about a quarter inch (0.7 cm), with bigger gaps at older ages.
• Time of day. The discs in your spine compress under your body weight during the day. Researchers have measured a daily swing of roughly 1.5 cm (about half an inch) between morning and night.
• Shoes and posture. Shoes add height, and slouching takes some away.
• Old numbers. Adults often quote a height measured years ago, but people typically start losing a little height after 40.

Still growing?

If you're comparing yourself with a taller friend or sibling and wondering whether you'll catch up, the comparison only shows today. Try the How Tall Will I Be quiz or get a full prediction from our height calculator.

The takeaway

A fair height comparison starts with good measurements: no shoes, a flat wall, a level book and the same time of day for everyone. Enter those numbers and the tool shows exactly how the heights line up, in both inches and centimeters.