What Is Feet?
Feet are a unit used to measure length or height. One foot is a bit less than one third of a meter. Feet are often used to measure people, rooms, and buildings.
The word foot means one unit. The word feet means more than one. For example, 1 foot, 3 feet, 10 feet.
Definition
In modern science and trade, the foot is defined exactly using the meter. This makes the size of the foot clear and the same in every country that uses it.
- 1 foot = exactly 0.3048 meter
- 1 foot = 30.48 centimeters
- 1 foot = 12 inches
When you see measurements like 5 ft 6 in, it means 5 feet and 6 inches.
History / Origin
The idea of using a human foot to measure things is very old. Many ancient peoples used the length of a foot as a simple way to measure distance.
Long ago, a foot was not the same size in every place. A foot in one city could be a little longer or shorter than a foot in another city.
Over time, countries tried to fix this by setting an official length for the foot. In the 1800s and 1900s, English speaking countries tied the foot to the meter. In 1959, the United States, the United Kingdom, and some other countries agreed to define 1 international foot as exactly 0.3048 meter.
Symbol & Abbreviation
The main symbol for foot and feet is:
- ft for both singular and plural, for example 1 ft or 10 ft
Some people also use a short mark after a number to show feet:
- ′ (a single prime mark) means feet, for example 6′ means 6 feet
- ″ (a double prime mark) means inches, for example 6′ 2″ means 6 feet 2 inches
In writing, it is safest to use ft and in so there is no confusion.
Current Use Around the World
Today, the meter and other metric units are the main standard in most countries. However, the foot is still used in many everyday situations, especially in some English speaking countries.
Common uses of feet include:
- Height of people, for example 5 ft 4 in
- Size of rooms and houses, often given in feet
- Height of buildings and bridges
- Altitude of airplanes, usually in feet above sea level
- Sports fields and courts, such as basketball or American football
By region:
- United States uses feet widely in daily life, construction, real estate, and aviation.
- United Kingdom and Ireland mainly use metric, but feet are still common for human height and in older building plans.
- Canada, Australia, New Zealand use metric officially, but feet may still appear for people’s height and some older rules.
- Aviation worldwide often measures flight levels and altitude in feet.
Example Conversions
These examples help you see how feet compare to other units.
Feet to inches
- 1 foot = 12 inches
- 2 feet = 24 inches
- 5 feet = 60 inches
- 6.5 feet = 78 inches
Feet to centimeters
- 1 foot ≈ 30.48 cm
- 3 feet ≈ 91.44 cm
- 5 feet ≈ 152.4 cm
- 6 feet ≈ 182.88 cm
Feet to meters
- 1 foot ≈ 0.3048 m
- 3 feet ≈ 0.9144 m
- 10 feet ≈ 3.048 m
- 30 feet ≈ 9.144 m
Meters to feet
You can remember this helpful rule:
- 1 meter ≈ 3.28 feet
So for quick estimates:
- 1 m ≈ 3.3 ft
- 2 m ≈ 6.6 ft
- 3 m ≈ 9.8 ft
Related Units
Feet belong to a family of length units that were used in English speaking countries.
- Inch (in) the smaller unit. 12 inches in 1 foot.
- Yard (yd) a larger unit. 3 feet in 1 yard.
- Mile (mi) a long distance unit. 5280 feet in 1 mile.
- Meter (m) the main metric unit that defines the modern foot.
- Centimeter (cm) a small metric unit often used for height in metric countries. 100 cm in 1 meter.
You can move between these units by using the conversion facts above.
FAQs
Is it foot or feet?
Use foot when you talk about one, for example 1 foot. Use feet when you talk about more than one, for example 2 feet, 10 feet.
How many inches are in 1 foot?
There are 12 inches in 1 foot. If you know the length in feet, you can multiply by 12 to get inches.
How do I change feet to meters?
Multiply the number of feet by 0.3048 to get meters. For a quick estimate, you can multiply by about 0.3 to be close.
How do I change meters to feet?
Multiply the number of meters by about 3.28 to get feet. Many people remember 1 meter is a little more than 3 feet.
Where are feet still used?
Feet are still used in daily life in the United States and partly in the United Kingdom and some other countries. Aviation around the world also uses feet for altitude.
Why do some countries not use feet?
Most countries use the metric system because it is simple and based on tens. They prefer meters and centimeters instead of feet and inches, especially in science and official work.
Are feet used in science?
In most scientific work, people use metric units like meters and kilometers. Feet may appear in older data or in some applied fields like aviation or civil engineering in a few countries.
How tall is a typical door in feet?
In many homes in the United States, a common inside door is about 6 feet 8 inches tall, which is written as 6 ft 8 in.
