Span (unit of length) facts for kids

A span is the distance from your thumb to your pinky finger.

A span is an old way to measure length using your hand. It's the distance from the tip of your thumb to the tip of your little finger when your hand is stretched out as wide as possible. This measurement is about 9 inches (22.86 centimeters) long.

In some Slavic languages, there's a similar measurement called pyad (pronounced "pyahd"). This is the distance from the tip of your thumb to the tip of your index finger. A pyad is usually about 7 inches (17.78 centimeters). Both the span and the pyad were useful ways to measure things before standard rulers and measuring tapes became common.

Images for kids

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  Some hand-based measurements, including the great span (4)

See also

• Palmo para niños (In Spanish)