Naming rules for domain names. Find out what rules you are bound by when it comes to naming your web sites. Why do these rules apply and what can you do to work around them.
 

	To check the availability of a domain name, enter it here: www.  .co.uk .org.uk .com .org Domain Name Length .co.uk and .org.uk domain names must be between 3 and 23 characters long not including the .co.uk or .org.uk part. .com, .org and .net domain names can be up to 63 characters (not including the .com part on the end) but bare in mind that there may be web browsers, email programs and internet related programs that have not yet adjusted to this length. 23 characters is safer.   The only way around the current length limitations is a 2 character .co.uk or .org.uk name. But this can only be achieved using a combination of letters and numbers e.g. m4.co.uk.   Valid characters Domain names can only contain letters numbers and hyphens ('-' signs). Spaces are not allowed, neither is punctuation. Names cannot start or end with a hyphen though.   There are times when it would be nice to have a space in your domain name but this is not possible, the way around this is to use hyphen signs (e.g. how-are-you-doing.co.uk).   Ownership .com and .co.uk domain names are designated for commercial and / or private use. .org and .org.uk domains were originally reserved for non-profit making organisations, but are now also available for commercial and private use.
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By registering a .uk domain name, you enter into a contract of registration with Nominet UK on the following Terms and Conditions. This is a separate contract to any arrangement you may have with any third party for the provision of internet services. Please read before proceeding with your order.