Domain name length checker

How to check a name

1. Enter a bare domain such as example.com, without a URL path.
2. Select Check length to see the complete ASCII hostname and each label.
3. Compare the result with your shortlist, then verify registration eligibility with a registrar.

example.com is 11 ASCII characters including its dot. Its labels are example (7) and com (3). Subdomains count as separate labels; shop.example.com is 16 characters.

Methodology and limitations

DNS permits up to 63 octets per label and 255 octets in wire format. For a hostname written with dots and without the final root dot, the corresponding maximum is 253 ASCII characters. This tool compares the ASCII form with those limits.

Internationalized domains use the browser URL parser to convert Unicode into ASCII labels, often starting with xn--. For example, bücher.de becomes xn--bcher-kva.de (16 ASCII characters). The input character count uses Unicode code points, which may differ from visible symbols.

This is a hostname length check. It does not consult a public suffix list, validate registry-specific rules or trademarks, check DNS, or determine availability, age, price or SEO quality. A syntactically acceptable name may use an unsupported extension. No input is sent to a lookup service.

Source: RFC 1035 DNS size limits.

Common questions

Is a shorter domain always better?

Shorter names can be easier to type, but a pronounceable and distinctive longer name may be easier to remember than an unclear abbreviation. Test your shortlist with real readers.

Does passing mean I can register it?

No. Check with a registrar for current availability and the extension’s registration rules. A DNS response, or its absence, does not prove registration availability.

Are internationalized names supported?

The tool shows the browser’s ASCII conversion and its length. Registry eligibility and visual similarity risks still need separate checks.

Explore the domain planning hub or use the business domain naming checklist.