What Is My Location

what3words for My Location

what3words divides the world into 3 m × 3 m squares and names each one with three words. Tap below to find the three words for where you stand. When the official what3words service is configured, you get the real address; otherwise we show our clearly-labelled open alternative.

Your three-word address

Real what3words vs our open hash — the honest difference

Official what3words is a proprietary system used by emergency services in several countries; its word lists and square mapping are controlled by what3words Ltd, and resolving an address requires their API. When this site has an API key configured (server-side only — your browser never talks to w3w), the tool returns the genuine address with a link to their map. Without a key, we compute an open three-word hash of your coordinates instead — deterministic and shareable within this site, but not understood by emergency services or the w3w app, and we label it as such everywhere it appears. If you need the real thing for safety reasons, the official what3words site is free for personal use.

When 3-word addresses beat coordinates

Three words shine when a location must survive a phone call: “lantern.harbor.cedar” dictates reliably where “28.6139, 77.2090” does not. They fail where precision chains matter — navigation systems, GIS, surveying — because words carry no ordering or distance information. Rule of thumb: words for humans on the phone, coordinates for machines and maps, Plus Codes when you want human-friendly and open.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the official what3words?
When the site operator has configured the official API, yes — resolved server-side and labelled official. Otherwise you get our open, clearly-labelled w3w-style hash, which is shareable here but not valid in the w3w app or with emergency services.
Are 3-word addresses better than coordinates?
Better over the phone (words dictate reliably), worse for machines and navigation (no math, proprietary resolution). Plus Codes offer an open middle ground.
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