Domain Name Spellings
Domain name spellings are getting out of control. It can feel like a headache with too many choices, so we’re here to help.
Our tips to help you choose the perfect name for your online presence. It’s worth reading these before your Domain Name Consultation.
We’ll walk you through the entire process of how to find the perfect domain name. Today, we’re looking at the spellings of your domain names.
Why This Actually Matters
Choose your words carefully when creating your company and website name. Spelling is as essential as knowing your audience.
Look, there are over 350 million domains registered worldwide now. Getting yours spelled right isn’t just about looking professional – it’s about people actually finding you.
Here’s the kicker: businesses lose about 30% of their traffic just because customers can’t remember how to spell their domain. That’s nearly a third of potential customers ending up somewhere else or just giving up completely.
Think about when someone hears your business name on a podcast, sees it on your card, or hears it at a networking event. If they can’t spell it right when they get home, you’ve lost them.
Keep It Simple (Seriously)
Have you ever had somebody tell you, “That’s Sar Rah, without the Haitch?” Leaving you with “Sara” or Billy with an eye? “Billi”…
Please don’t do this to your clients or website visitors. Keep It Simple!
Your brain likes patterns. When you see weird spellings, you have to work harder to remember them. You’re more likely to get them wrong. Simple, normal spellings are just easier – easier to read, remember, and trust.
When customers have to ask “How do you spell that?” every time, you’ve created a barrier between them and buying from you. Not great for business.
Examples of What NOT To Do
Thinking back to our photographer friends, let’s look at some terrible examples and why they suck…
Foreign Spellings
Using foreign spellings such as “Photographique” instead of Photographic would be a disaster.
Unless you’re actually French and operating in France, this just confuses people. Your British customers will forget if it’s “-ique” or “-ic.” Most will just type the normal spelling and land on someone else’s site.
Also, try saying “Photographique” to Siri. Go on, try it. See what happens.
There was a London bakery called “Patisserie Élégante” that lost about 40% of potential customers who’d heard about them but searched for “Patisserie Elegant” instead. Ouch.
Deliberate Misspellings
Going all hip and trendy with something like “Photograffix” instead of “Photograffics” will also end badly.
You might think it makes you look creative. It doesn’t. It makes you look difficult to find. Every single person who wants to visit your site has to remember your special spelling. Most won’t. They’ll type the normal spelling and find your competitor.
The “clever spelling” thing was popular around 2010 – think Flickr, Tumblr. Even they faced constant confusion. But they had millions in funding to advertise their way past it. Do you?
Unconventional Spellings
If the domain name you want is taken, avoid using misspellings like fotography or fotographer or even worse, something stupid like Photografer.
These scream “couldn’t get the domain I wanted” to everyone. It’s like turning up to a job interview in yesterday’s clothes. Not a good look.
You’ll fight this forever. Every business card, every email, every piece of marketing needs to spell out your weird variation. And people will still get it wrong.
Numbers and Letters as Words
Stuff like Photos4U.co.uk or Best4Weddings.co.uk might seem catchy. They’re not. They’re a nightmare.
Voice search doesn’t understand these. When someone says “photos for you” to their phone, they won’t find Photos4U. Also, these feel really dated – like 2005 text message speak.
Hyphens
Domains like best-photography.co.uk create endless headaches.
People forget the hyphens. Simple as that. They’ll type your domain without hyphens and land somewhere else (possibly a competitor who registered that version). Hyphens also look spammy – they’re everywhere on dodgy affiliate sites.
What Actually Happens
All of these convoluted spellings will cause headaches for your website visitors. But more importantly, you will lose visitors and customers.
Let’s get specific. Say you run a photography business called “Photograffix” and spend £5,000 on local radio ads. The ads are great and get people interested. But when they go to find you:
40% type “Photographics” (normal spelling) and find a competitor
20% type “Photography” and get general results
15% give up after one failed attempt
25% eventually find you after multiple tries
You just wasted £3,750 sending customers to competitors or nowhere. This isn’t made up – this is what happens.
Mobile Makes It Worse
Convoluted spellings create a terrible user experience (UX), and visitors will struggle to find you. The names will be hard to remember and constantly prone to typos, leaving you with lower search rankings.
Misspelt words also make it even harder for mobile users to get it right.
Over 60% of web traffic is mobile now. Typing on a small screen is already annoying. Add weird spellings and it’s even worse.
Plus autocorrect fights you. If you’ve chosen an unusual spelling, every phone tries to “fix” it to the normal spelling. Users have to battle their own phone just to find you.
Voice search is the same problem. Over half of searches are done by voice now. If someone can’t say your domain and have Siri understand it, you’re invisible to half your audience.
Search Engines Don’t Like It Either
Google knows what “photographer” means. If your domain is “Fotografer,” you’re working against the system. You’ll rank lower and have to spend more on SEO just to match someone with a normal spelling.
Weird domains also look unprofessional to Google. Loads of hyphens or number substitutions signal spam. The algorithm might trust you less.
The Security Problem
More importantly, misspelt words also allow cyber criminals to create fake cloned versions of your website. This is referred to as cyber-squatting.
If you use convoluted words, it will be easier for criminals to trick visitors into giving their personal info on fake websites that also use misspelt words.
Here’s how it works. You’re “Photographique.co.uk” but didn’t register “Photographic.co.uk” or “Photographique.com.” Criminals register these similar domains and copy your site. When customers misspell your domain (which they will, constantly), they land on fake sites.
The PayPal Example
Numerous fake clones of the PayPal website have been created using fake domains like PayPal, Paypal, pay-pal, and various spellings.
Criminals registered hundreds of variations: Paypa1.com (that’s a number one, not an L), PayPal-secure.com, PayPall.com, and loads more. Each fake site stole login details and money from thousands of people.
The only way to know you’re on the right website is to type the domain name manually and spell it correctly.
When you choose weird spellings, you multiply the variations criminals can exploit. Normal spellings have fewer plausible fakes.
Protecting Yourself
If you’re dead set on an unusual spelling (though seriously, don’t), you need to register defensive domains – common misspellings and variations.
Say you insist on “Photographique.co.uk.” You also need:
Photographic.co.uk
Photographique.com
Photographic.com
Fotografique.co.uk (common mistake)
These cost money every year and add up. But they protect your brand and customers.
Even with normal spelling, grab common variations. If you’re BestPhotography.co.uk, get BestPhotography.com and BestPhotography.uk too. Small investment, big protection.
When Weird Spellings Work (Spoiler: Rarely)
Some brands succeeded with odd spellings – Flickr, Tumblr, Scribd. But they had one massive advantage you probably don’t: tens of millions in funding.
Flickr spent over $50 million on marketing in their first few years. They bought their way past the spelling problem through constant advertising. Unless you’ve got similar cash, this isn’t your strategy.
Better Alternatives.
Sometimes the perfect domain just isn’t available. Photography.co.uk would cost tens of thousands if it’s even for sale. But weird spellings aren’t your answer.
Try instead:
Add location: LondonPhotography.co.uk
Add your name: SmithPhotography.co.uk
Different extension: Photography.studio
Compound word: SnapMemories.co.uk
Made-up word: Photora.co.uk (sounds professional, easy to spell)
These are all better than creative misspellings.
British vs American Spellings
If you work internationally, you’ve got another issue: should you use British or American spelling?
Common differences:
Colour vs Color
Organise vs Organize
Centre vs Center
Licence vs License
For UK businesses serving mostly British customers, use British spellings. It shows you’re local. But register the American version too and redirect it. Costs about £10 yearly and catches everyone.
For international markets, American spellings might work better, bigger market, and American spelling dominates online. But again, register both.
Best solution? Pick a domain without these words. Instead of ColourfulPhotography vs ColorfulPhotography, go for VibrantPhotography or BrightLensPhotography.
Testing Your Domain
Before you commit, try these tests:
The Radio Test
Imagine advertising on local radio. The DJ says your name once. Can listeners spell it correctly?
Tell your domain to 10 people. Ask them to write it down. If more than two get it wrong, it’s too complicated.
The Phone Test
Tell a friend about your business in conversation. Don’t spell the domain. Then ask them to find your website.
If they have to ask “How do you spell that?” – you’ve failed.
The Memory Test
Tell someone your domain. Wait 24 hours and ask them to write it down. Normal spellings stick better than creative ones.
The Autocorrect Test
Type your domain into your phone’s browser. Does autocorrect try to change it? That’ll happen to every customer on mobile.
The Drunk Test
Can someone spell your domain after a few drinks? Sounds silly, but loads of business networking happens over drinks. If they hear about you at the pub, they need to type it correctly later even when fuzzy.
Your Checklist
Before registering any domain, it must pass these:
✓ Standard dictionary spellings (British or American, pick one)
✓ No numbers for words (no “4” instead of “for”)
✓ No hyphens (unless you absolutely must)
✓ No creative misspellings or trendy variations
✓ Passes the radio test (understood when spoken once)
✓ Passes the phone test (found without spelling it out)
✓ Works with mobile autocorrect
✓ Works with voice search
✓ Available in multiple extensions (.co.uk, .com minimum)
✓ Matches or is close to social media handles
✓ No trademark conflicts
✓ Feels professional and trustworthy
✓ Won’t feel dated in 10 years
If your domain fails any of these, rethink it.
Real Examples That Got It Right
Snappy Snaps – Memorable name, standard spelling. “Snappy” describes quick service, “Snaps” is universal. Catchy but completely standard. No one struggles to find them.
Trainline – Simple compound word. Descriptive, memorable, impossible to misspell. Now worth billions.
Innocent Drinks – One correctly spelled English word. Memorable, meaningful (pure ingredients), effortless to spell. Spreads easily by word of mouth because everyone can spell “innocent.”
Notice the pattern? Standard spellings, easy pronunciation, instant clarity.
The Bottom Line
When in doubt, choose the simpler option.
Every creative spelling is a gamble. You’re betting the “uniqueness” is worth the confusion, lost traffic, SEO problems, and accessibility barriers. Sometimes it pays off. Usually it doesn’t.
Successful businesses online have domains that are:
- Easy to spell
- Easy to remember
- Easy to say
- Easy to type
- Easy to find
Easy beats clever almost every time.
Your domain is your front door online. Make it a door that’s easy to find, easy to open, and impossible to miss. Standard spellings. No creative complications. Make it simple for customers to give you money.
Need Help Choosing A Name?
Choosing your domain is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make. If you’re overwhelmed by options or unsure about your choice, our consultations help. We’ll work through your business needs, audience, and goals to find a domain that sets you up for success, with perfect spelling, obviously.
