what3words: Navigation & Maps

What the three-word addresses are for

The app assigns each 10ft square a unique set of three words, which it calls a what3words address. You can look up a location by its words, find the words for a place on the map, and navigate to either. It suits anyone who needs to name a spot that a street address describes badly, such as a field, a trail, a building entrance or a pier.

The listing presents it as a way around inaccurate street addresses, so a visitor can reach the right door without reading a postcode. The same three words work whether you are sharing the spot or heading to it.

Meeting people and getting help

Because each address points to one small square, you can agree a meet-up point by sending three words instead of describing a landmark. The developer lists this for planning exact meeting places and for simplifying directions for everyone involved.

For urgent cases, the listing says the words let emergency services find you in hard to describe locations. It also lists giving a car breakdown service your precise position as a use.

Saving spots and logging incidents

You can save favourite places so you can navigate back to them later. The listing gives a viewpoint, a waterfall and a proposal location as examples.

The same saved locations can hold more practical points, such as an incident you want to report or the delivery entrance for a building. Each one returns to its three words, so you do not need to remember a route.

Directing visitors to your door

A business or Airbnb host can give guests a three-word address for the exact entrance, which the listing presents as an alternative to a street address that may be wrong. The developer also lists sending people to accessible entrances, so visitors can find the right route into a building.