What3Words Address Regex for Java

What this pattern does

This page provides a lightweight, single-purpose regular expression for matching what3words address, ported and verified for Java. Identity and credential patterns need both correctness and safety, since they're frequent targets for adversarial input. The snippet below is ready to drop into your Java project — whether you're validating in a Spring Boot controller, a Jakarta EE service, or a standalone utility class.

Java Implementation

// What3Words Address
// ReDoS-safe | RegexVault — Identity & PII > Location PII

import java.util.regex.Pattern;

public class What3wordsAddressValidator {
    private static final Pattern PATTERN =
        Pattern.compile("^[a-z]+(?:\\.[a-z]+){2}$");

    public static boolean validate(String input) {
        return PATTERN.matcher(input).matches();
    }

    // Example
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println(validate("filled.count.soap")); // true
    }
}

Test Cases

When to use this pattern

This pattern is drawn from the Identity & PII > Location PII category and carries a ReDoS-safe certification. That matters for Java developers because critical in Java applications since the JVM regex engine uses backtracking and is susceptible to ReDoS without careful pattern design. RegexVault audits patterns against known backtracking attack vectors, ensuring you have the necessary context before using this regex in a high-stakes production environment.

Common Pitfalls

Technical Notes

What3Words divides the world into 3m × 3m squares, each with a unique 3-word address. The API is proprietary. Format validation can check the 3-word pattern but validity of the address requires the W3W API. 57 trillion unique combinations globally.