Punycode Converter
RFC 3492Convert Unicode domains to Punycode (xn--) and back. A free online punycode converter for Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs).
Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) and DNS
This tool operates as a versatile punycode converter and idn to punycode. The classical domain name system is restricted strictly to ASCII characters. Punycode resolves this limitation by encoding Unicode characters into a safe set of ASCII characters. For example, the domain café.fr is encoded into the ASCII string xn--caf-dma.fr. The prefix xn-- is called the IDN ACE prefix and distinguishes Punycode labels from ordinary ASCII labels.
How the conversion works with IDN TO PUNYCODE
Punycode uses a bootstrap algorithm to translate Unicode strings. It separates any basic (ASCII) characters from non-basic characters, appends a delimiter (a hyphen), and encodes the values and positions of the non-basic characters in a base-36 system. This tool handles multi-label domain strings by splitting them on periods (.) and converting each label individually.
Secure Local Processing
Your queries are executed locally. No server requests, domain lookups, or telemetry operations occur. All calculations take place in your browser via JavaScript, ensuring that the domains you check remain private.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a punycode converter used for?
A punycode converter translates international domain names containing Unicode characters into ASCII-safe strings starting with xn--.
Why do domains need Punycode?
The DNS historically only supports ASCII characters for domain names (to prevent errors across network protocols). To allow domains to contain non-English scripts (like Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Cyrillic, or accents like umlauts), Punycode acts as an translation layer. The domain name is prepended with 'xn--' to tell the browser it is a Punycode label.
What is a Homograph attack?
A homograph attack is a security exploit where an attacker registers a domain name that looks identical to a legitimate domain (e.g., using Cyrillic 'а' instead of Latin 'a') to deceive users. Browsers often display the raw Punycode (xn--) format in the address bar instead of the Unicode glyphs for suspicious or mixed-script domains to protect users.