What is What3Words and why should I use it?

Have you ever driven around in circles looking for your destination, despite your satnav saying you have arrived? Or tried to explain to a friend where they can find your tent on holiday or at a festival? What about breaking down and needing to call for assistance with a more accurate location than “somewhere on the A35”?

What3Words is a system that has divided the entire world into squares, just 3m wide, with each square being allocated a set of 3 random, but never-changing words. These words act like an address, meaning that people can navigate to them. The advantage of this system is that a 3m square is far more precise and accurate than traditional methods of communicating location. Postcodes cover a number of postal addresses, and in rural countryside communities this can mean a large geographical area. Street addresses can be confusing, and will only lead you to registered buildings, not much use if you’re trying to find the corner of a specific field. GPS co-ordinates are more accurate, but a simple 1 digit error can lead to you being directed to the wrong location. Therefore, random words were chosen as identifiers for the 57 trillion imaginary 3m squares that cover the globe.

Here’s an example of location addresses at Highlands End Holiday Park:

Park Reception: ///deprives.intensely.disclose
Holiday Home Sales Office: ///grain.basic.importers
Spar: ///clever.clef.forks

These 3 places are all close to one another and in the same building, and describing the positions of each could be confusing to someone who hadn’t been there before, but with What3Words we are able to pinpoint a much more accurate location.

Why should I use What3Words?

There are all kinds of situations where you may need to let someone know exactly where you are, just like the scenarios listed at the start of this post. Using it can make many scenarios in day-to-day life simpler, more efficient and less frustrating.

The system has also been widely praised for helping the emergency services get to people quickly, particularly those stranded in remote areas. As of September 2021, more than 85 per cent of British emergency services teams use What3Words.

The service is available online at What3Words.com and also as an app available on iOS and Android devices.

We recommend that everybody with a compatible device downloads the app in case of emergencies, even if you download it and forget about it for the time being. As with all apps, you can set it to only have access to your location whilst you are actively using it, so there is no need to worry about it using up your data in the background.

How can I use What3Words whilst on holiday?

There are a number of scenarios whilst on holiday where you could use What3Words:

• If you are meeting someone on the beach but aren’t sure exactly where
• If someone is coming to visit your tent or caravan on the park and doesn’t have a park map
• If you get lost or injured whilst out walking and need assistance
• If your car breaks down and you don’t know the name of the road you’re on
• If you’re walking to a specific point and don’t have a map

Here are some places that you might want to visit, that don’t all have street addresses or postcodes:

• The Cobb at Lyme Regis: ///simulations.mallets.developer
• Golden Cap: ///adjusting.shirts.apron
• Thorncombe Beacon: ///resting.hoaxes.charities
• Hardy’s Monument: ///postings.hill.hindered
• Portland Bill: ///provide.showcases.bulldozer
• Durdle Door Beach: ///bookcases.mats.prom
• Tyneham abandoned village: ///truly.scarred.estimates