{"id":2203,"date":"2007-03-31T10:00:32","date_gmt":"2007-03-31T04:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/03\/worlds-longest-domain-names-63-characters-maximum\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T15:43:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T10:13:00","slug":"worlds-longest-domain-names-63-characters-maximum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/03\/worlds-longest-domain-names-63-characters-maximum\/","title":{"rendered":"World&#8217;s Longest Domain Names: 63 Characters Maximum (Rules and Famous Examples)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>What are the <strong>longest domain names<\/strong> in the world, and how long can a domain name actually be? When a friend wanted to register the longest domain possible back in 2007, we found plenty of people already claiming the record. The rules haven&#8217;t changed since: each part of a domain name can be at most <strong>63 characters<\/strong>. Here are the famous examples and the limits you need to know.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-63249\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/longest-domain-names.webp\" alt=\"World's longest domain names: 63 characters maximum\" width=\"1200\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/longest-domain-names.webp 1200w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/longest-domain-names-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/longest-domain-names-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/longest-domain-names-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/longest-domain-names-768x403.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> The part of a domain before the extension (like the &#8220;example&#8221; in example.com) can be up to <strong>63 characters<\/strong> long. The whole domain name, including dots and extensions, can be up to <strong>253 characters<\/strong>. Letters, numbers and hyphens count. The &#8220;www&#8221; and &#8220;https:\/\/&#8221; don&#8217;t.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af29ef319c28\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af29ef319c28\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/03\/worlds-longest-domain-names-63-characters-maximum\/#How_long_can_a_domain_name_be\" >How long can a domain name be?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/03\/worlds-longest-domain-names-63-characters-maximum\/#Famous_longest_domain_names\" >Famous longest domain names<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/03\/worlds-longest-domain-names-63-characters-maximum\/#The_Welsh_village_with_the_58-letter_name\" >The Welsh village with the 58-letter name<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/03\/worlds-longest-domain-names-63-characters-maximum\/#Multi-word_record_attempts\" >Multi-word record attempts<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/03\/worlds-longest-domain-names-63-characters-maximum\/#The_alphabet_and_pi_domains\" >The alphabet and pi domains<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/03\/worlds-longest-domain-names-63-characters-maximum\/#The_longest_domain_extensions\" >The longest domain extensions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/03\/worlds-longest-domain-names-63-characters-maximum\/#Should_you_register_a_long_domain_name\" >Should you register a long domain name?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/03\/worlds-longest-domain-names-63-characters-maximum\/#Frequently_asked_questions\" >Frequently asked questions<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/03\/worlds-longest-domain-names-63-characters-maximum\/#What_is_the_longest_domain_name_allowed\" >What is the longest domain name allowed?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/03\/worlds-longest-domain-names-63-characters-maximum\/#Do_hyphens_count_towards_the_63_characters\" >Do hyphens count towards the 63 characters?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/03\/worlds-longest-domain-names-63-characters-maximum\/#What_is_the_shortest_possible_domain_name\" >What is the shortest possible domain name?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_long_can_a_domain_name_be\"><\/span>How long can a domain name be?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The limits come from the internet&#8217;s Domain Name System rules (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rfc-editor.org\/rfc\/rfc1035\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RFC 1035<\/a>), written in the 1980s and still in force today:<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Part<\/th>\n<th>Maximum length<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Each label (the text between dots, e.g. &#8220;quickonlinetips&#8221;)<\/td>\n<td>63 characters<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Full domain name, including all labels and dots<\/td>\n<td>253 characters<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Minimum length of a label<\/td>\n<td>1 character (though most registries require at least 2\u20133 for .com and similar)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Allowed characters are the letters a\u2013z, numbers 0\u20139 and hyphens. A label can&#8217;t start or end with a hyphen, and domain names aren&#8217;t case-sensitive.<\/p>\n<p>A clever trick for &#8220;longer&#8221; domains is subdomains: each subdomain can also be up to 63 characters, as long as the whole name stays under 253.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Famous_longest_domain_names\"><\/span>Famous longest domain names<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Welsh_village_with_the_58-letter_name\"><\/span>The Welsh village with the 58-letter name<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The best-known long domain belongs to a real place: the village of <strong>Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch<\/strong> on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, the longest place name in Europe. Its upper part has a domain that hits exactly 63 characters by adding &#8220;uchaf&#8221;, Welsh for &#8220;upper&#8221;:<\/p>\n<p><code>llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochuchaf.com<\/code><\/p>\n<p>The village name on its own is used at:<\/p>\n<p><code>llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.co.uk<\/code><\/p>\n<p>Locals simply call it Llanfairpwll or Llanfair PG.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Multi-word_record_attempts\"><\/span>Multi-word record attempts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Plenty of people have registered 63-character domains just to claim the record, such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><code>thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com<\/code><\/li>\n<li><code>thelongestdomainnameintheworldandthensomeandthensomemoreandmore.com<\/code><\/li>\n<li><code>iamtheproudownerofthelongestlongestlongestdomainnameinthisworld.com<\/code><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_alphabet_and_pi_domains\"><\/span>The alphabet and pi domains<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Two more famous examples: the alphabet repeated until it hits 63 characters (<code>abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijk.com<\/code>), and a domain spelling out pi to dozens of decimal places, which uses a &#8220;3&#8221; subdomain so it can look like 65 characters while each label stays within the limit.<\/p>\n<p>Some of these novelty domains have lapsed or changed owners over the years, so they may not all load today.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_longest_domain_extensions\"><\/span>The longest domain extensions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Since 2013, <a href=\"https:\/\/newgtlds.icann.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ICANN<\/a> has approved hundreds of new top-level domains (TLDs), and some are long themselves. Brand TLDs owned by companies, such as <code>.travelersinsurance<\/code> and <code>.northwesternmutual<\/code>, run to 18 or 19 characters, far longer than classics like .com or .in.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Should_you_register_a_long_domain_name\"><\/span>Should you register a long domain name?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>For a real website, almost certainly not. Long domains are hard to remember, easy to mistype and awkward on business cards and in speech. The most visited websites in the world use short, simple names (see our list of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/10\/top-50-most-visited-us-sites-list\/\">most visited websites in the US<\/a>). Aim for something short, easy to spell and memorable, and use a long domain only for fun or a joke.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Frequently_asked_questions\"><\/span>Frequently asked questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_longest_domain_name_allowed\"><\/span>What is the longest domain name allowed?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Up to 63 characters for each part between the dots, and up to 253 characters for the full name.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_hyphens_count_towards_the_63_characters\"><\/span>Do hyphens count towards the 63 characters?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes. Hyphens count as characters, but the dot and the extension (like .com) aren&#8217;t part of the 63-character limit for the name itself.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_shortest_possible_domain_name\"><\/span>What is the shortest possible domain name?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Technically one character, but almost all one- and two-character .com names were taken long ago or are reserved, and they sell for huge sums.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What are the longest domain names in the world, and how long can a domain name actually be? When a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":63249,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogging","category-hosting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2203"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2203\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63250,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2203\/revisions\/63250"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}