If you’re curious about whether 5’6 is an average height for women, then you’ll soon get your answer.
We examined data that measured thousands of women, so we have a pretty good idea of whether 5’6 is tall, short, or just plain average.
See How Your Height Compares:
- Average female height
- 5’0 woman
- 5’1 woman
- 5’2 woman
- 5’3 woman
- 5’4 woman
- 5’5 woman
- 5’7 woman
- 5’8 woman
- 5’9 woman
- 5’10 woman
- 5’11 woman
How tall is 5’6 in centimeters, meters, and inches?
How tall is 5’6? In centimeters, 5’6 works out at 167.64 cm. In meters, 5’6 is equal to 1.6764 meters. Finally, there are 66 inches in the height of 5 feet 6 inches.
To be clear, there are many ways to write 5’6. For example, you can add the inch symbol and write 5’6″. Or, if you’re talking about height, in which case the context is clear, you can simply say 5 5 or “5 5 height”.
Many people prefer to write the entire height out, opting for 5 feet 6 inches or the slightly abbreviated 5ft 6in height.
Either way, all of these ways of writing 5’6″ are correct. And giving a height in feet and inches is often easier for people to visualize than giving it in meters or centimeters, especially in the US.
Related: How much should a 5’6 female weigh?
Is 5’6 tall for a girl?
Is 5’6 tall for a girl? Although 5’6 is 2 inches taller than average for a woman, I wouldn’t say that 5’6″ is in the tall category for a girl.
This is true for a few reasons.
One, just because a given height is taller than average, it’s not necessarily tall. That said, I would say that a 5’6 height for a woman is the cut-off point, after which you’d be in the tall category.
Additionally, in other parts of the world, especially in Europe, women tend to be taller than in America. In some of these places, 5’6 may still be taller than average, but not by much. [1]
How tall is 5’6 ½ for a woman?
How tall is 5’6 ½ for a woman? A height of 5ft 6.5in is pretty tall for a woman because it’s a full 2.5 inches taller than usual for a woman living in the US.
That said, I still wouldn’t quite put 5 feet 6 and a half inches in the tall category for a female because, globally, it isn’t so tall that you’d stand out in any way.
This means that while most women aren’t 5’6.5, there are still plenty who are.
Of course, your posture and footwear can influence how tall you look, but a barefoot height of 5’6 is nothing out of the ordinary for a woman.
Is 5’6 a good height for a woman?
Yes, I would definitely say that 5’6 is a good height for a woman because you’re neither short nor tall. As such, you won’t attract any unwanted attention, and buying clothes, height-wise, should be pretty easy.
Statistically, a height of 5’6″ would put you beyond the 75th percentile, meaning that you’d likely be taller than around 75% of women that you meet.
So, is 5’6 short for a girl? Absolutely not. A 5’6 height for a woman is, if anything, on the tall side (on the taller side of normal, I would say).
Now, don’t worry; you’re not going to be towering above every other woman that you encounter. Statistically, as a 5’6 woman, you’re just going to be a few centimeters taller than most other women, that’s all.
What does 5’6 look like?
What does 5’6 look like? For a woman, 5’6 looks a bit taller than usual but definitely not too tall. For a man, on the other hand, 5’6 looks quite a bit shorter than normal, but it’s really not that short in the grand scheme of things.
You can see our guide (is 5’6 short for a guy?) if you want to learn all the details regarding what life is like for a 5’6 man.
For now, these height comparisons will explain what 5’6 and other heights look like next to each other.
4’11 compared to 5’6
The 4’11 and 5’6 height difference is 7 inches. That’s a significant height difference, but it’s not necessarily too much, nor is any height difference really.
For example, a 4’11 and 5’6 couple (4’11 girl and 5’6 boy) can look great together, and their 7 inch height difference will, in fact, look complementary because the boy, although not tall, will still look much taller than his partner.
5’1 vs 5’6
5’1 next to 5’6 looks fairly normal if we’re talking about a 5’1 and 5’6 couple. This is because most men are around 5 inches taller than women, statistically speaking.
So although both of these heights are a full 3 inches shorter than average, the 5 inch height difference shouldn’t be any kind of barrier.
I wouldn’t personally say that 5’1 and 5’6 are really short heights for females or males. There are still a decent number of people who are shorter than this, after all.
5’3 vs 5’6
5’3 next to 5’6 doesn’t look especially small, but there would still be a pretty noticeable height gap in-person and in photos.
Specifically, the 5’3 and 5’6 height difference is 3 inches. Although this is a considerable amount of height, it shouldn’t be a problem.
For example, a 5’6 guy next to a 5’3 girl will look quite a bit taller than her, a height difference that could even be accentuated (or reduced) through strategic footwear choices.
Who are some popular 5’6 celebrities that are female?
There are plenty of 5’6 celebrities and 5’6 actresses who have (and, in many cases are still having) wildly successful careers.
Some notable examples of celebrities who are 5’6 include the actresses Meryl Streep and Jenna Fischer, as well as singer Beyoncé and talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
It can be hard to pinpoint precise heights for certain celebrities, and there are often multiple heights quoted for a given actress or singer, depending on the source.
Additionally, women, in general, have been found to misreport their height. [2]
Still, to the best of our knowledge, these female celebrities are 5 feet 6 inches tall (barefoot estimate) or somewhere very close to it.
Conclusion: What’s it like being a 5’6 woman?
Being a 5’6 is great because you’re unlikely to run into any height-based problems at all.
Sure, there are certain activities or professions in which being taller is advantageous, but 5’6″ really is a good height for a girl because you’re not too tall, and you’re certainly not too short, either.
5’6″ women will never struggle to find clothes that fit them well based on their height. I know this because I’m only an inch taller and rarely if ever struggle to find clothing that fits my body.
Additionally, most men will be taller than you, so you won’t need to feel self-conscious about towering over the men that you meet.
References
- Schäppi, J., Stringhini, S., Guessous, I., Staub, K., & Matthes, K. L. (2022). Body height in adult women and men in a cross-sectional population-based survey in Geneva: temporal trends, association with general health status and height loss after age 50. BMJ open, 12(7), e059568. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-059568
- Engstrom, J. L., Paterson, S. A., Doherty, A., Trabulsi, M., & Speer, K. L. (2003). Accuracy of self-reported height and weight in women: an integrative review of the literature. Journal of midwifery & women’s health, 48(5), 338-345. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1526-9523(03)00281-2
