What3Words

[-SharonA-]

Seeing many adverts for this app, but does it work???
You mean to tell me by giving just 3 words, someone can find me??
Here goes, market, east, forest. Where am I?????

[LadyCG]

I'd be wary about putting your genuine "what 3 words" on here.

[Vagus]

The com0any who devised it allocated all the words, you need the app which has a map, to know where someone is.

[Etch]

That 3 word location doesn't seem to exist. The nearest match in the UK is market.easy.forest - somewhere near St Brides Major in Wales.

[Vagus]

We’ve just put those three words in and there’s nothing relating exactly to them.

[douglas9401]

I think Sharon has misunderstood the technology.

[barry1010]

She certainly has, douglas.
Buckingham Palace is fence.gross.bats
Big Ben is clean.wider.both
Statue of Liberty is planet.inches.most

[AZardoz]

The old expression, "... both hands & a torch" comes to mind.

[theshedman]

What's wrong with just using a sat nav.

[-SharonA-]

//I think Sharon has misunderstood the technology.//
I think I must have as I certainly ain't in Wales!!!
So you cannot use 3 random words which apply to your area.
I presume you get a list.

[barry1010]

Where am i?
blank.buns.bump

[bednobs]

not really a list - each 3msq in the world has been assigned 3 words

[davebro]

Some places are hard to find with a satnav. W3W (should) give a pretty exact location. Problems can arise if (for instance) you are giving your location verbally by phone and you mispronounce or the listener mishears the words.

[Etch]

This Wikipedia article explains how it works:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What3words

[barry1010]

Sharon, you put the address into the app and it gives you three words.
Give those three words to anyone and they can find it in the app.

If you are injured up a mountain or in the middle of a forest the app will give you the three words of exactly where you are. Give those words to the emergency services and they will be able to pinpoint your location and find you

[davebro]

//Where am i?
blank.buns.bump//

Near Maypole Lane . Birmingham ?

[davebro]

Sainsburys ?

[Etch]

This BBC article mentions possible issues in using the system:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-57156797

[barry1010]

blank.buns.bump is Waterstones, Piccadilly, London

[Ellipsis]

You'd need a satnav that worked on latitude and longitude to lots of decimal places to do the equivalent. A postcode is no good for identifying where a climber lost on a mountain is, or a barn that a rave is taking place in ...

[Espresso125]

it won on dragons den a few years ago