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Is a 12 cm and 13 cm height difference big?

Is a 12 cm and 13 cm height difference big?

A 12 cm height difference and a 13 cm height difference are both noticeable height gaps. But just because a particular height difference is noticeable doesn’t mean that it’s excessive.

It’s actually quite normal for a person to be 12 cm or 13 cm taller (or shorter) than someone else because human height can vary significantly.

Is a 12 cm height difference noticeable between a couple?

A woman and a man looking at each other

A 12 cm height difference between a couple is very noticeable; you’ll instantly be able to see who’s short and who’s taller.

Now, I know that a lot of people, both male and female, worry about being too short or too tall compared to their partner.

But the truth is that a 12 cm height difference is actually perfectly normal. In fact, if I had to pinpoint an average height difference between couples, I’d say that 12 cm or 13 cm is perhaps the most common height gap.

With a 12 cm difference in height, you have what I’d call a complementary height difference that reinforces the male-taller normal. And yet, the height gap isn’t excessive to where the shorter person looks like the child of the taller person.

Different cultures prefer different-sized height gaps. But at 12 centimeters, such a height difference is very likely to blend in just about anywhere since men are expected to be quite a bit taller than women.

What does a 13 cm height difference look like?

A happy couple enjoying some time outside

A 13 cm height difference looks pretty big; it’s definitely noticeable to anyone who has eyes to see.

Nonetheless, a 13 cm height difference, as I noted above, is very much normal between partners because, in an average couple, the male is usually a fair bit taller than the female.

I wouldn’t say that a 13 cm difference in height is particularly huge. Indeed, there are far bigger height differences than this, and at 13 centimeters, one person won’t absolutely tower over the other.

Still, a 13 centimeter height difference is very noticeable because 13 centimeters, while not a huge measurement in the grand scheme of the world, is a lot when it comes to human height.

Is it ok to have a 12 cm or 13 cm height difference?

A woman thinking

A 12 cm height difference and a 13 cm height difference are both perfectly normal height gaps. But we can certainly say that such height differences are more common between certain people.

For example, since siblings of the same gender share the same parents, they’re unlikely to have a 12 cm height difference.

On the other hand, because men are typically much taller than women, male-female couples commonly have a 13 cm height difference or even more of a height gap.

A 12 cm or 13 cm height difference can also exist between two friends because intra-gender height can vary quite a bit since stature is largely genetic.

In conclusion

On a daily basis, whether we realize it or not, we probably see people who have a 12 cm height difference or a 13 cm height difference.

After all, by my best estimation, such a height difference is actually very common between male-female couples. 

So, although a 12 cm or 13 cm difference in height is very much noticeable, it’s by no means excessive.

Additionally, it’s fine to be 13 cm shorter than a friend, for example, because since we have different parents, our height is naturally going to vary. So in any given class, workplace, or friendship group, a 13 centimeter height difference is fairly likely.