How to buy shoes that actually fit your feet

May 6, 2026 · 3 min read · Foot and Ankle Associates

Buy shoes at the end of the day when your feet are at their largest, measure both feet and fit the larger one, and leave a thumb's width between your longest toe and the end of the shoe. Shoe size changes through adult life, so the number you used to wear is not a reliable guide.

Your feet are not the size you think

Feet lengthen and widen across adult life as the ligaments supporting the arch gradually give. Pregnancy, weight change and years of standing all accelerate it. Someone who wore an eight at twenty-five is frequently a nine and a half at fifty-five, and is often still buying eights.

Sizing is also not consistent between manufacturers, so the number is a starting point rather than an answer. Two pairs marked the same size can differ by most of a size in practice.

Three checks at the shop

Shop late in the day. Feet swell as hours pass, by as much as half a size. A shoe fitted first thing in the morning can be genuinely too small by the evening, which is when most foot pain is felt.

Have both feet measured, every time, standing up with weight on them. Most people have one foot noticeably larger. Fit the larger foot and pad the other if needed, never the reverse.

Check the length with a thumb's width between your longest toe and the end of the shoe. Note that your longest toe is not always the big toe. Then check the width at the ball of the foot: the shoe should not need breaking in to stop pinching there. Leather gives a little; it does not change size.

What to look at on the shoe itself

Hold the heel and try to twist the shoe. A supportive shoe resists. Bend it: it should flex where your foot flexes, at the ball, not in the middle of the arch. A shoe that folds in half gives the arch nothing.

Press the back of the heel. That cup should be firm rather than collapsing inward, because it is what keeps the heel aligned as you push off.

Look for a toe box deep enough that the tops of the toes are not rubbing. This is what people with hammertoes and bunions get wrong most often, and it is the single change that relieves the most discomfort.

Check the inside with your hand as well. Seams, stitching and the ridge where the lining is joined sit against the foot for the life of the shoe, and anything you can feel with a palm will eventually be felt by a toe.

Knowing when to replace them

Cushioning and support wear out well before the upper looks tired. A shoe worn most days is usually finished long before it looks it.

Turn the shoes over. Uneven wear on the sole, more on one edge than the other, is information about how you load the foot, and it is worth bringing to an appointment rather than throwing away. It often explains pain elsewhere, including the knee and hip.

If a new pair hurts in the shop, it will hurt on the street. Nothing about a shoe gets bigger.

Common questions

Do expensive shoes fit better?

Not reliably. Fit, width options and the firmness of the heel counter matter far more than price. An inexpensive shoe in the right width beats a costly one in the wrong one.

How often should I replace walking shoes?

It depends on use and body weight rather than time alone. Judge by compression of the midsole and uneven sole wear, not by how the upper looks.

Are wide-fit shoes only for wide feet?

No. People with bunions, hammertoes or swelling often need the extra width and depth even when their foot is not broad, because the issue is the shape rather than the measurement.