Numbers and Hyphens in Domain Names

## The Question Every Domain Buyer Faces You have a great business idea, you open a domain search tool, and you discover that your perfect name is taken. The registrar helpfully suggests alternatives: `best-widgets.com`, `bestwidgets2.com`, `best2widgets.com`. Should you take one? Or hold out for something cleaner? Numbers and hyphens are legitimate parts of the domain name system, and millions of successful websites use them. But they come with real tradeoffs in branding, usability, and search performance. This guide walks you through the full picture so you can make the right call for your situation. ## What the Domain Name Rules Actually Allow Second-level domains — the part before the TLD (Top-Level Domain) — must follow a small set of technical rules defined by ICANN and the Internet standards bodies: - **Allowed characters:** Letters a–z (case-insensitive), digits 0–9, and hyphens (-). - **Length:** 1 to 63 characters per label (the part between dots). - **Hyphens:** Permitted anywhere *except* the first or last character of a label, and they cannot appear in both the third and fourth positions simultaneously (that pattern is reserved for Punycode IDN (Internationalized Domain Name) encoding). - **Numbers:** Fully permitted anywhere in the label. So `99designs.com`, `3m.com`, `e3.com`, and `coca-cola.com` are all perfectly valid. The technical standards place no restriction on using numbers or hyphens. The real constraints are human: branding, Domain Memorability, and trust. ## Numbers in Domain Names ### When Numbers Work Well Numbers are neutral characters. They carry no inherent positive or negative signal on their own — context is everything. **Numbers that *are* the name:** Brands built around a number are among the most recognizable on the internet. `99designs.com`, `500px.com`, `9gag.com`, and `23andme.com` all use numerals as integral parts of their brand identity. The number is not a workaround; it *is* the name. If your business concept is built around a number, using that number in your domain is natural and memorable. **Numerical year or version:** Domains like `web3.com` or `design2024.com` embed a number as meaningful context. This can work, but time-bound numbers age quickly — a domain with "2024" in it will feel dated by 2026. **Short numeric domains:** One- or two-digit domains (`9.com`, `88.com`) are extremely valuable and almost universally taken. Three- and four-digit numeric domains (`777.com`, `1234.com`) are also premium assets. If you already own a short numeric domain, it is a strong Premium Domain (Registry Premium) asset. **Number as word substitute:** Using "4" for "for" or "2" for "to" (e.g., `shop4less.com`) was more common in the early 2000s. It reads as dated today and causes real usability problems — people cannot tell whether you spelled it out or used a numeral. ### When Numbers Create Problems **Verbal communication:** If you say your domain name out loud — in a podcast, on the radio, in a sales call — and your audience has to guess whether "four" means the digit 4 or the word "for," you have a Domain Memorability problem. Every time someone types the wrong version, you lose that visitor. **Word-numeral ambiguity:** `rate1.com` — is the "1" part of the brand, or is it the first version of `rate.com`? Ambiguity breeds hesitation. Use numbers only when they are unambiguous in context. **SEO considerations:** Google and other search engines index numbers in domain names just like letters. There is no direct penalty for using a number. However, if the number creates brand confusion or reduces Domain Memorability, that indirectly affects how often people search for your brand by name — and branded search traffic is one of the strongest SEO signals. Keep the number if it strengthens your brand; remove it if it causes confusion. ## Hyphens in Domain Names ### The Case For Hyphens **Readability in long names:** `best-used-cars-chicago.com` is easier to parse than `bestusedcarschicago.com`. The hyphens act as word separators, reducing cognitive load for the reader. For local business domains built around long keyword phrases, a hyphen can genuinely improve clarity. **Availability:** Many single-word and compound domains are taken. `best-coffee.com` may be available when `bestcoffee.com` is not. If the hyphenated version is your only realistic path to a keyword-rich SLD (Second-Level Domain), it may be worth considering. **Historical SEO mythology:** In the early 2010s, some SEO practitioners claimed hyphens helped search engines parse individual words within a domain. This theory has largely been debunked. Google is sophisticated enough to parse compound words without hyphens, and the domain name's direct contribution to rankings is minimal compared to content quality and backlinks. ### The Case Against Hyphens **Brand perception:** Hyphens are strongly associated with spammy, low-quality, or affiliate sites from the 2000s SEO era. When a user sees `best-deals-online-cheap.com`, they immediately think "this looks sketchy." Fair or not, this association is real and affects click-through rates and trust. Use WHOIS Lookup Tool to check the history of any hyphenated domain you are considering — many have spammy pasts. **Verbal communication:** "It is best-hyphen-coffee-hyphen-shop dot com." Nobody wants to say that. Hyphens are essentially invisible in spoken language, which means you will constantly have to spell out your domain name, including the hyphen locations. This is a significant practical problem for businesses that market offline or verbally. **Typo traffic loss:** Virtually every user who types your hyphenated domain name into a browser will occasionally forget the hyphen. If the non-hyphenated version is owned by a competitor or a domain investor, every typo sends traffic to someone else. **Multiple hyphens multiply problems:** A single hyphen in a domain is borderline acceptable. Two or more hyphens read as spammy, are nearly impossible to communicate verbally, and are almost always a sign that you should keep searching for a better name. ## The "Number vs. Spelled Out" Decision One of the most common dilemmas is whether to use the numeral or the word: | Option | Example | Pros | Cons | |---|---|---|---| | Numeral | `5star.com` | Shorter, visually distinct | Verbal ambiguity ("five-star" vs. "five star") | | Word | `fivestar.com` | No ambiguity, more brandable | Usually longer, may be taken | | Both | Register both | Maximum coverage | Costs two registrations per year | The best practice is to **pick one version as your canonical domain** and, where budget allows, register the alternative to redirect to your primary. This is especially important for high-traffic brands where losing even a fraction of direct visitors matters. ## Practical Decision Framework Before you register a domain with numbers or hyphens, run it through these checks: **1. The phone test.** Call a friend and say your domain name out loud, without spelling it. Can they type it correctly? If there is any ambiguity about whether a hyphen or number is present, that is a real problem. **2. The radio test.** Imagine a 15-second radio ad that ends with "visit our website at…" and then your domain. Does it flow? Is it clear? **3. The trust test.** Show your domain to a few people who are not close friends. Does it look professional and credible? Or does it look like a late-2000s affiliate site? **4. The search test.** Search for your proposed domain name as a phrase. Are the top results reputable? If the name has a history of spam or low-quality content, that history can linger in user perception even after you register a fresh domain. **5. The alternative test.** Have you genuinely exhausted alternatives? Different TLDs, slight name variations, portmanteaus, or invented words often beat a hyphenated or numbered workaround. Use TLD Finder and Domain Name Generator to explore the full space before settling. ## Special Cases: Numbers and Hyphens in New TLDs The explosion of new generic TLDs has changed the calculus somewhat. Instead of registering `best-coffee.com`, you might register `bestcoffee.shop` or `bestcoffee.cafe` — a clean, hyphen-free name in a descriptive TLD (Top-Level Domain). Use TLD Comparison Tool to see which TLDs are available for your preferred name, then weigh the trust and familiarity advantages of `.com` against the cleanliness of a new TLD name. ## What the Data Says About Memorability Research on domain name Domain Memorability consistently finds that shorter names with common English words are easiest to remember and type correctly. Every additional character — whether a hyphen, a numeral, or just an extra word — reduces recall accuracy. The effect is not dramatic for a single hyphen or numeral in an otherwise short name, but it compounds quickly. A rough hierarchy from most to least memorable: 1. Short, single common word (e.g., `shop.com`) 2. Two-word compound without hyphen (e.g., `shopnow.com`) 3. Brand name with integrated number (e.g., `99designs.com`) 4. Two-word compound with one hyphen (e.g., `shop-now.com`) 5. Longer multi-word hyphenated string (e.g., `best-shop-now-online.com`) ## When to Just Move On Sometimes the domain you want is taken and the alternatives with numbers or hyphens are genuinely inferior. In that case, the right answer is to consider: - A different TLD (Top-Level Domain) for the same name (`bestcoffee.shop`, `bestcoffee.co`) - A slight name variation (`bestcoffeeshop.com`, `getcoffee.com`) - An invented or portmanteau name (`coffeely.com`, `brewify.com`) - Purchasing the domain on the aftermarket if it is not actively in use Use Domain Cost Calculator to estimate registration and renewal costs for different options, and TLD Knowledge Quiz to explore which TLD fits your brand's personality. ## Key Takeaways - Numbers and hyphens are technically allowed in domain names but carry usability tradeoffs. - Numbers work best when they are genuinely part of your brand identity, not just a workaround for an unavailable name. - A single hyphen may improve readability in a long domain but hurts verbal communication and brand perception. - Multiple hyphens are almost always a sign to keep searching for a better name. - The phone test and radio test are simple, reliable ways to catch problems before you register. - Register both the numeral and word versions of critical brand names if budget allows, redirecting one to the other. - New generic TLDs often offer a cleaner hyphen-free alternative worth considering. For more on choosing the right TLD (Top-Level Domain) to pair with your name, see tld-overview-what-they-mean. For the full domain selection process, use the Domain Registration Checklist.