---
id: "what3words"
kind: "datatype"
status: "stable"
is_pii: false
categories: ["geo"]
langs: ["common"]
quality: 70
url: "http://registry.apicrafter.io/datatype/what3words"
---

# What3Words (`what3words`)

What3words is a proprietary geocode system designed to identify any location with a resolution of about 3 metres (9.8 ft). It is owned by What3words Limited, based in London, England.

- Personal data (PII): no
- Categories: Geographic identifiers (geo)
- Countries: global
- Languages: Common to most languages (common)
- Classification: identifier

## Detection

Regular expression (Python `re`):

```
^(?:///)?[^\W\d_]+\.[^\W\d_]+\.[^\W\d_]+$
```

## Examples

- `thrive.collaborating.slangy` — What3Words example 1
- `squirrels.devours.longitudes` — What3Words example 2

## Sources

- wikipedia: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What3word>

## Quality

Score 70/100. Missing: negative example, mapping (Wikidata, Schema.org, ...), translation, detector coverage.

JSON: <http://registry.apicrafter.io/api/v1/datatypes/what3words.json> · Edit: <https://github.com/apicrafter/metacrafter-registry/edit/main/data/datatypes/any/geo/what3words.yaml>