The funniest What3Words locations around the world
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If you’ve ever used What3Words, you’ll know it’s a clever geocode system that divides the globe into 3-metre squares, giving each one a unique three-word “address”. It’s widely used by emergency services, delivery companies, and walkers who need to pinpoint their exact location.
But there’s also a lighter side. Because the words are randomly assigned, some famous landmarks and everyday places end up with unintentionally hilarious addresses. In this article, we’ve rounded up the funniest What3Words combinations — ones that made us laugh out loud, often because of their bizarre contrast with the places they represent.
And if you want to try this yourself, don’t forget you can use our GPS Training Grid Reference Finder to convert What3Words into postcodes, UK grid references, or GPS coordinates. Perfect for checking both practical and funny addresses!
1. Buckingham Palace, London – fence.gross.bats
The royal residence deserves a regal address, but instead it gets “fence.gross.bats”. Hardly majestic — it sounds more like the corner of a messy cricket pitch.
2. 10 Downing Street, London – slurs.this.shark
The Prime Minister’s famous doorstep can be found at “slurs.this.shark”. The mental image of a shark hurling insults outside No. 10 is comedy gold.
3. The Shard, London – unit.blend.offer
Britain’s tallest skyscraper has an address that sounds like bland business jargon. More coffee machine slogan than futuristic landmark.
4. Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower), London – clean.wider.both
Big Ben’s wholesome-sounding three words read more like a motivational slogan than directions to the most famous clock in the world.
5. The London Eye – bikes.audio.half
Half a bike? Audio bikes? This one makes no sense at all, which is why it’s funny. Perfectly random for one of London’s quirkiest attractions.
6. The White House, Washington D.C. – sulk.held.raves
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue suddenly sounds like the venue for an angsty underground party. Not quite the image of presidential formality.
7. The Taj Mahal, India – according.gloom.broads
A monument to eternal love with an address that reads like the start of a gloomy detective novel. The mismatch makes this one unforgettable.
8. The Eiffel Tower, Paris – prices.slippery.traps
This one feels suspiciously accurate. A warning about tourist-trap prices hidden right in the coordinates themselves.
9. Sydney Opera House, Australia – tiny.loses.tree
Whimsical and absurd. You can almost picture someone misplacing a tree beneath those iconic white sails.
10. Ontario, Canada – credit.card.denied
Not a landmark, but too good not to include. Somewhere in Ontario, the dreaded phrase “credit.card.denied” is an actual location. Universal pain in three words.
Honourable Mentions
- broken.parts.daily – a scrap yard in Texas.
- shave.legs.fully – a square in Bristol, UK.
- glorified.bodily.passage – in the Netherlands.
Why We Love the Funny Side of What3Words
What3Words is designed as a serious tool that improves navigation and saves lives. But because it generates its addresses at random, it also gives us these wonderful little moments of humour.
Our personal favourites?
- slurs.this.shark – because it reads like a surreal headline.
- sulk.held.raves – because the White House could hardly sound less presidential.
So next time you’re out walking or planning a trip, look up the What3Words location of where you’re headed. You might just discover a funny phrase you’ll never forget.
👉 Try it for yourself using the GPS Training Grid Reference Finder.
