# Midget vs dwarf **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 29, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midget-vs-dwarf/583684 "2011-05-29T18:51:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ststephen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@ststephen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ststephen)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midget-vs-dwarf/583684/1 "2011-05-29T18:51:24Z")
After trying to search on the web for this, I came to the esteemed teeming blah blah blah…Are there more midgets in the world than dwarfs? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midget-vs-dwarf/583684/2 "2011-05-29T19:47:14Z")
Aren’t they two different words for the same category of people? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midget-vs-dwarf/583684/3 "2011-05-29T20:22:17Z")
I’m 53 years old, and I’ve while seen quite a few people with dwarfism over time I can’t recall actually ever seeing a true midget (ie a normally proportioned very small person) in my life. There was a girl working at Best Buy a few years ago who was close, but she was a bit over 4 feet tall which I think is beyond midget size. I’m guessing true midgets are far more rare than dwarves. Midget vs dwarf. > **[Dwarf vs Midget - Difference and Comparison | Diffen](https://www.diffen.com/difference/Dwarf_vs_Midget)** > > A dwarf is an extremely short adult who is less than 58 inches tall. The word midget is considered derogatory and offensive. Both words describe a short person, but refer to different physical characteristics and genetic conditions. 'Midget' refers... ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midget-vs-dwarf/583684/4 "2011-05-29T20:23:45Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Aren’t they two different words for the same category of people? According to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midget) yes they are, although some dwarfs find “midget” offensive, apparently. But perhaps the OP can clarify the distinction he has in mind. ETA: Or maybe **astro** will. > [@](#): > > Midget vs dwarf Sounds like a straight to DVD movie to me. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midget-vs-dwarf/583684/5 "2011-05-29T20:27:19Z")
According to the comparison I linked above 147 centimeters or 4’10" is the cut point for considering someone to be a midget, so I’ll have to revise my statement about never having seen a midget. I had no idea the demarcation line was that tall. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midget-vs-dwarf/583684/6 "2011-05-29T20:44:56Z")
> [@astro](#): > > According to the comparison I linked above 147 centimeters or 4’10" is the cut point for considering someone to be a midget, so I’ll have to revise my statement about never having seen a midget. I had no idea the demarcation line was that tall. There are some human populations where 4’ 10" is close to the norm. This definition has a certain Euro-centric bias (for lack of a better term). ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midget-vs-dwarf/583684/7 "2011-05-29T21:44:08Z")
According to some sources, “midget” indicates a short person who is normally proportioned, whereas a “dwarf” is misproportioned. That may largely be an older distinction which isn’t used much any more, partly because some people in the group find it offensive. I suspect it is the distinction the OP is looking for. … doesn’t stop me from having a very strange mental picture when I hear “midget racing”, though … ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midget-vs-dwarf/583684/8 "2011-05-29T23:34:26Z")
i’m too tired to google. what’s the difference? my stock knowledge is limited to derogatory examples. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midget-vs-dwarf/583684/9 "2011-05-30T00:07:48Z")
You might want to PM or E-mail whiterabbit, who is 4’2" and thus probably the shortest person on the SDMB. (I’m 4’11" and thus possibly the shortest male on the SDMB.) She knows a lot about what the currently acceptable words for height are at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midget-vs-dwarf/583684/10 "2011-05-30T00:42:18Z")
Shouldnt this thread be moved to The Game Room? ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midget-vs-dwarf/583684/11 "2011-05-30T01:50:19Z")
> [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > Shouldnt this thread be moved to The Game Room? Only if the discussion devolves into Dwarf-tossing. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midget-vs-dwarf/583684/12 "2011-05-30T03:45:04Z")
The 4’10 idea is if somebody is 4’10 _due to a medical reason_, not just from coming from a family of really really short people. \*waves at \*_Wendell_ The old midget/dwarf dichotomy is pretty much totally gone. For one thing, there are a lot fewer people running around who have a hormone deficiency due to it being caught early and treated. And somewhere along the line the two terms switched which was better: once upon a time, it was better to be a midget than a dwarf, what with midgets being proportional and somewhat more accepted. Another is that doctors simply don’t divide people that way these days. There’s dozens and dozens of conditions that cause extreme short stature and two vague terms don’t even begin to cover them. The answer to the OP? Using the old categories, there’s got to be lots more dwarfs around, at least in parts of the world where hormone treatments are available. I am not ultra PC but must say I can’t stand dwarf-tossing jokes and personally despise midget. Almost anything else is okay, though I seem to be a minority in that I also despise the whole “people first” bit. I know I’m a people and don’t need to be assured of that. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midget-vs-dwarf/583684/13 "2011-05-30T03:53:03Z")
> [@whiterabbit](#): > > I know I’m a people and don’t need to be assured of that. Gee, I wish I was people. ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midget-vs-dwarf/583684/14 "2011-05-30T03:57:56Z")
dwarves are between hobbit and man-height. they like to grow their beards long. in battle, they are famous for the quality of their armor and like heavy blunt weapons like axes, mattocks, maces, etc. midgets is the age group between kids (below 13) and aspirants (above 16) during summer sports fests. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midget-vs-dwarf/583684/15 "2011-05-30T04:00:24Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Gee, I wish I was people. Change your username to **Soylent Green**. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midget-vs-dwarf/583684/16 "2011-05-30T04:25:02Z")
> [@](#): > > You might want to PM or E-mail whiterabbit, who is 4’2" and thus probably the shortest person on the SDMB. Well, other than **Bomb Bay Doors** , probably. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midget-vs-dwarf/583684/17 "2011-05-30T05:36:20Z")
Bomb Bay Doors is now ten years old and quite possibly taller than whiterabbit. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midget-vs-dwarf/583684/18 "2011-05-30T07:04:07Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > Only if the discussion devolves into Dwarf-tossing. 😃 :mad: Nobody tosses a dwarf! :mad: