2E vs 4E vs UK EE: shoe width letters explained

Updated 2026-10-22 · Sources listed at the end

Short version: in US sizing, men's D is standard, 2E (also written EE) is wide, 4E is extra wide and 6E is XX-wide. Women's B is standard, D is wide, 2E is extra wide and 4E is XX-wide. UK sizing uses different letters. For UK women, D is standard, E is wide and EE is extra wide. UK men usually go F → G → H. A "UK EE" and a "US 2E" are therefore two different systems. Don't treat them as the same.

Every example below comes from a product page or size guide listed under Sources. We copied the labels exactly as the retailer or brand prints them.

The US scale for men

The US letters run from narrow (B) through standard (D) to more and more E's. Zappos prints the meaning right next to the letter, which makes it easy to read:

Some brands use words instead of numbers. Rockport writes W (EE) and XW (4E). Propet writes X (3E) and XX (5E), so odd-numbered E widths exist too. Merrell's Moab 3 just says M or W, with no letter count.

The US scale for women: D is already wide

Women's widths are shifted by about two letters, and that catches people out:

Brands don't all agree. Some women's dress brands call C their wide. Naturalizer's Maddox lists M (B), W (C) and WW (E), and Clarks' Kidiki Cove on Zappos lists C - Wide. So "wide" on a heel can be narrower than "wide" on a running shoe. Always check which letter sits behind the word.

UK widths use different letters

UK shops mostly use letters from a separate scale:

• Clarks UK, women: D standard, E wide, EE extra wide. Clarks Outlet also lists C narrow.
• Clarks UK, men: G standard, H wide. Clarks Outlet also lists F narrow.
• Clarks UK, kids: E narrow, F standard, G wide. Clarks Outlet adds H extra wide.
• Shoe Zone (UK retailer): women C, D, E, EE, EEE (narrow to ultra wide); men E, F, G, H (narrow to extra wide).

Two things follow from that:

1. A UK women's EE is the extra-wide fitting. It's not the same thing as a US men's 2E, even though the letters look alike.
2. UK men's letters don't match US men's letters. In the UK an E can even mean narrow (Shoe Zone, men's).

Some UK specialist shops skip UK letters and use US-style E counts instead. Wide Fit Shoes UK labels many shoes 2E, 4E or 6E. For DB Shoes it uses ranges such as 2V (2E – 4E) and 6V (6E – 8E). When you shop in the UK, check which system the page uses.

Which should you try?

• Standard shoes feel tight at the ball of the foot or the little toe: try one step wider. That's 2E for men, D for women (US), or E (UK women).
• 2E still presses, or you use orthotics: try 4E (men) or 2E/EE (women, US). These are the widths stocked most often after standard.
• 4E is still tight: 6E exists but is rare. Specialists sell it, for example New Balance 608v5 and Orthofeet on Zappos, and Tredd Well and DB at UK wide-fit shops.

Width also varies with the brand's last and with the shoe size. Nobody publishes a reliable millimetre conversion that works across all brands. Measure your foot and use the brand's own chart. Shoe Zone and Clarks both publish one (see Sources).

Find shoes by width

The directory home page filters every verified model by these width classes. Here are the XX-wide (6E for men, 4E for women) models we have verified so far: