Punycode / IDN Converter
Convert internationalized domains between Unicode and ASCII (xn--) form.
Free • no sign-up • runs entirely in your browser.
What is Punycode?
DNS only understands ASCII, so internationalized domain names (IDNs) with accents or non-Latin scripts are encoded into an ASCII form that starts with xn-- — called Punycode. For example münchen.de is stored as xn--mnchen-3ya.de. Browsers convert back to the readable Unicode form for display.
Security: homograph attacks
Attackers register lookalike domains using characters that resemble Latin letters (e.g. a Cyrillic “а”). Converting a suspicious domain to Punycode reveals its true ASCII form — a quick way to spot these spoofs.
Frequently asked questions
It's the standard prefix marking a Punycode-encoded (ACE) label. Everything after it is the ASCII encoding of the Unicode label.
Browsers sometimes display the Punycode form instead of Unicode when a domain mixes scripts, as an anti-spoofing measure.
No — the conversion runs entirely in your browser with a local implementation of RFC 3492. Nothing is sent anywhere.