A standard .co.uk domain uses unaccented letters a–z, digits 0–9 and permitted hyphens. It cannot contain spaces, accented letters, an ampersand or an apostrophe in the part you register before .co.uk. Choose a clear alternative spelling, then check its actual availability; a technically valid name is not necessarily available to buy.
Before you begin
- Write your brand as customers see it, including accents and punctuation.
- Prepare one or two simple domain spellings using supported characters.
- Check the complete website and email spelling with someone unfamiliar with the name.
- Review availability, registrant details, registration term and renewal price before payment.
1. Separate a brand’s appearance from the address you register
You do not have to remove an accent from your logo or change the typography on your shop sign just because the domain needs a simpler spelling. Treat the displayed brand and its web address as two related design choices. Make the connection between them easy for customers to understand, and use the final address consistently on receipts, packaging and social profiles.
Nominet’s field definitions describe the permitted ordinary domain characters as letters, digits and hyphens, with a hyphen excluded at the beginning or end. That is a character rule, not a promise that every combination can be registered. A name may already be held, reserved or outside a provider’s supported checkout.
2. Accented letters and internationalised names need particular care
Nominet’s published .UK registration rules allow unaccented Roman letters and state that internationalised domain names are not offered for this namespace. The rules also exclude names beginning xn--, the prefix associated with an encoded internationalised label. Converting an accented spelling into that form is therefore not a workaround for registering it as .co.uk.
For a word such as café, a practical candidate might use cafe in the address while retaining café in the visible brand. Review the complete result rather than removing marks mechanically: a word from another language may need a different readable transliteration. NameUK’s ordinary checkout does not automatically turn accented input into a different registration. Enter the exact supported spelling you have chosen.
3. Work through spaces, apostrophes and an ampersand
The following are spelling exercises, not business or availability recommendations. Start with the way customers already say the name. Joining words, writing and instead of an ampersand, or leaving out an apostrophe can each produce a workable candidate. None is a rule that every brand must follow.
Read the joined version slowly. Letters that were separated by a space can create an unintended word or make the boundary difficult to spot. Test a hyphenated candidate only if the extra spoken instruction is worth the clearer word boundary. NameUK’s checkout also rejects repeated hyphens; do not add punctuation simply to get past an unavailable result.
On a narrow screen, swipe sideways to compare each spelling exercise.
| Displayed example | Candidate label | Check before using it |
|---|---|---|
| Café Mira | cafemira | Can customers connect the unaccented address with the displayed brand? |
| Mira & Co | miraandco | Will people say and or omit it when typing? |
| Mira’s Studio | mirasstudio | Is the joined spelling easy to read and repeat? |
| Mira Studio | mira-studio | Will callers remember to include the hyphen? |
4. Check how the exact spelling behaves in NameUK search
Our ordinary registration search accepts supported letters, numbers and hyphens. It rejects an internal space, accented input, an underscore, an ampersand, a URL pasted with its scheme, a leading or trailing hyphen, and repeated hyphens. These are checkout restrictions for the name you are buying, not instructions to alter your legal registrant details.
Use your correct person or organisation details at checkout. Do not remove accents from a registrant’s name merely because the domain label cannot contain them. The web address and the owner’s identity are different fields. If a contact field rejects accurate information, ask support how to enter it instead of substituting an invented owner.
If search rejects the spelling, review the characters first. If it accepts the spelling but returns unavailable, use a different clear candidate or ending. Valid syntax, availability and successful registration are three separate checks; buying the domain is complete only after registrar confirmation.
5. Budget for the spelling you will actually keep
Register .co.uk for £9.99 for one year, with annual renewal currently £9.99. Or choose a new three-year .co.uk registration for £25.99. Check the selected name and term before payment. Future renewal prices can change.
Choose the spelling before comparing registration terms. An affordable registration is still an ongoing commitment, and additional versions are separate registrations with separate renewals. Do not buy several punctuation variants automatically. Decide what each would do and whether it is worth maintaining.
NameUK can suit buyers who want a standard UK address, current registration and renewal prices shown together, and managed DNS controls for their chosen website or email service. This is our own recommendation for those needs. If retaining a particular internationalised spelling is essential, do not force a different name through a checkout that does not support it; check another suitable namespace and its current rules first.
The initial three-year UK offer applies to eligible new .co.uk, .uk, .org.uk and .me.uk registrations, with .me.uk intended for an individual owner. It is not a future three-year renewal price and does not include .wales or .cymru. Hosting and mailboxes are separate services.
6. Proofread the website and email address together
A useful final check is a short dictation exercise. Say the full address once to someone who has not seen the design, then compare what they typed. Repeat it as an email address with a simple mailbox name. This tests whether people know where the words join and whether they remember a hyphen or an extra and.
Put the candidate on a sample business card at a realistic size, not only in a large logo. Check it on a small phone screen as well. If the address needs a long explanation every time, reconsider the candidate before paying or printing. A different clear name can be easier to maintain than a complicated spelling workaround.
- Check the exact letters before the ending, including repeated letters where words join.
- Confirm that .co.uk and .uk have not been confused in the final proof.
- Use the same final address on the website, email signature and printed material.
- After registration, save the confirmation and note the expiry date in your account.
Quick answers before you register
Can I keep an ampersand in my logo? The domain character rules do not require the logo to use the same punctuation as the address. Make the final web spelling clear beside it.
Does a successful search reserve the name? No. Review the current result, spelling, owner details and payment total. Registration still needs confirmation.
Can I correct the registered spelling later? Editing your website or contact information does not rename the domain. Read the registration carefully before paying; a different spelling is a different name and needs its own availability check and registration.
This is NameUK’s own guide. The brand and spelling examples are illustrative, not claims that a business exists or that a suggested domain is available.
Further readingNominet: .UK rules of registration, section 5 ↗Nominet: registry field definitions ↗Extension rules and provider processes can change. Check the current registrar instructions before a registration, transfer or renewal.
Low-cost registration. Affordable UK renewals.
Register .co.uk for £9.99 for one year, with annual renewal currently £9.99. Or choose a new three-year .co.uk registration for £25.99. Check the selected name and term before payment. Future renewal prices can change.