Gloves and Apparel
Fingerless Glove Names: Glovelettes, Glittens, Mitts and More
Every name for fingerless gloves, by style: glovelettes, glittens, lace mitts, driving and cycling gloves. Plus what mitt and wristlet really mean.
The standard name is fingerless gloves, and "glovelettes" is the main alternative. Other names depend on the style. A fingerless glove with a fold-back mitten flap is a convertible mitten or "glitten". A lace version worn with a dress is a lace mitt.
This guide sorts the names by style so you can match the word to the glove. For the one-line answer, see what gloves without fingers are called. The leather gloves and apparel hub covers the rest of the topic.
Names by style at a glance
| Name | What it looks like | Typical use | Fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fingerless gloves / glovelettes | Finger tubes cut to half length and left open | General, cycling, riding | – |
| Convertible mittens / glittens | Fingerless glove plus a mitten flap over the four fingers | Cold weather when you need your fingers now and then | – |
| Lace mitts | Fingerless lace glove | 19th-century day and evening dress, fashion today | – |
| Driving gloves | Open knuckles and back, vent holes, short cuff, wrist snap; some makers sell fingerless versions | Steering wheel grip | – |
| Cycling gloves | Usually fingerless, padded palm | Road racing, touring | – |
| MMA gloves | Fingerless, padded | Required in professional MMA fights | – |
| Target rifle glove | Open-fingered, heavily padded, worn on one hand | Supporting a rifle in prone shooting | – |
Words that get mixed up
"Fingerless" vs "mitt"
"Fingerless" just means the glove does not cover the fingers. "Mitt" is looser. Wiktionary lists it as a mitten, or an oversized protective glove such as an oven mitt or a baseball mitt. In fashion, "mitts" is also the old name for lace fingerless gloves.
"Wristlet" is not a glove
According to Wiktionary, a wristlet is an elastic band that keeps a glove from slipping off the wrist, or a decorative band worn around the wrist. It has no palm, so it is not a fingerless glove.
"Glitten" vs mitten
A glitten opens up. The mitten pocket is sewn to the back of a fingerless glove and folds back, usually held by hook-and-loop or a button. The gloves vs. mittens page explains the difference.
Fingerless leather gloves for riding
Motorcyclists wear fingerless gloves to grip the bars and protect the palms. Many designs have a ventilated back so the hands stay cool. The SATRA summary of EN 13594, the motorcycle glove standard, does not mention fingerless designs. Our types of fingerless gloves and their uses page compares the riding, gym and winter versions.
Leather Collection does not list a fingerless riding glove. Its leather motorcycle gloves are full-finger styles, hand-stitched from 0.8-0.9 mm cowhide.
Where the names came from
Lace mitts were worn with day and evening dresses in the 19th century. The fingerless glove became a fashion statement in the 1980s.
FAQ
What is the purpose of fingerless gloves?
They protect the palm and keep the fingertips free for grip, feel and touchscreens. More in why people wear fingerless gloves.
What are convertible fingerless gloves called?
Convertible mittens, or glittens.
What are the three types of gloves?
No standard list of three exists. One simple way to group gloves is by finger coverage: full-finger gloves, fingerless gloves and mitten styles such as glittens. See the hub for types by leather.
HitKB Editorial Team
HitKB articles are researched from published sources, cited in the text, and reviewed before publication.