What is What3Words Converter?

What3Words Converter translates geographic coordinates (latitude/longitude) into memorable three-word phrases and back again. Every ~300m square on Earth gets a unique three-word label, making it easy to share an area without long number strings. Uses an open algorithm with a 2,048-word dictionary, no API key required.

The algorithm bins each ~300m square on Earth and hashes its index into a triplet drawn from a 2,048-word dictionary, so a single phrase like 'running.piano.cheese' covers roughly a city block. The converter works both directions: enter coordinates to get the phrase, or paste a phrase to recover the latitude and longitude. The result row links straight to Google Maps so you can confirm the spot before sharing.

How to use

1. Paste a coordinate pair or a three-word address into the smart input — or hit Use my location to grab your current GPS position.
2. Click Convert to get the matching three-word address or coordinate pair.
3. Copy the result or click the map link to view the location.

When to use

• Pointing someone to an exact meeting spot in a park, beach, or festival where street addresses fail.
• Sharing a delivery instruction like 'leave the parcel here' for the back entrance of a building.
• Logging a precise location of a campsite, fishing spot, or trail marker for later reference.

Result

You're meeting a friend in a park with no street address. Convert 24.7136, 46.6753 to get a three-word phrase like 'running.piano.cheese' that pinpoints the exact picnic spot.

FAQ

Is this the official What3Words service?

No. This is an independent implementation using an open algorithm and a smaller 2,048-word dictionary, so the three-word combinations won't match the proprietary What3Words app at all. The official service pinpoints a 3-metre square, while this tool resolves to about a 300-metre cell — the words and the precision are both different.

How precise is a three-word address?

Each phrase represents a square about 300 metres on a side, roughly the size of a city block or a small park. That's accurate enough for naming a neighbourhood, landmark, or meeting district, but not precise enough for parking spaces, deliveries, or any task that needs street-level accuracy.

What if I enter coordinates outside the valid range?

Latitude must be between -90 and 90; longitude between -180 and 180. Anything outside those bounds is rejected with a brief error message so you can fix the entry without losing the rest of your input.

Can I change the word separator?

Yes. The default is a period (running.piano.cheese), but you can switch to a dash, slash, or space to suit the channel you're sharing in. Some chat apps treat dotted text as a link and auto-format it.

Do the words change over time?

No. The algorithm is deterministic, so the same coordinates always produce the same three words on this tool. If you ever need to verify a location later, paste the phrase back in and you'll get the original latitude and longitude.

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