Articles
OG, 3L and 4L names: what they are and why players want them
Players who collect or hunt Minecraft: Java Edition usernames have their own words for them: OG, 3L, 3C, 4L. None of these words is official, and people do not always use them the same way. This article sets out what they usually mean, how many names of each kind can exist, and what makes a short name wanted.
The words
- 3L: a three-letter name, letters only, such as
fox. - 3C: a three-character name of any kind, digits and underscores included, such as
a_9. - 4L and 4C: the same for four letters or four characters.
- OG: short for "original". A name that is short, clean and readable, often a real word or a common first name, without digits or underscores added to make it fit.
- Dictionary name: a name that is a real word in some language. A short dictionary name is usually considered OG.
How many there are
A username can use 37 characters, so the number of possible names grows very fast with length. That is the whole reason short names are rare.
| Kind of name | How many can exist |
|---|---|
| Three letters (3L) | 17,576 |
| Three characters of any kind (3C) | 50,653 |
| Four letters (4L) | 456,976 |
| Four characters of any kind (4C) | 1,874,161 |
Hundreds of millions of copies of Minecraft have been sold, and every Java account needs a name. Against that, seventeen thousand three-letter names are almost nothing: nearly all of them were taken long ago, as our count of three-character names shows day by day.
What makes a name wanted
Length is the first thing, but not the only one. Two names of the same length can be very different to players:
- Letters only. A name with a digit or an underscore is easier to get and less sought after than one made only of letters.
- Easy to say and to remember.
Moxis easier to say thanXqz, and that matters for a name people will read and type. - A real word or name. Words such as animals, colours or common first names are wanted in every length, and in several languages.
- Patterns. Repeated letters or digits, and names that read the same both ways, have their own followers.
We do not put prices on names, and nothing on this site is an appraisal. How much a name "is worth" is mostly a question of how many people want it at the same moment, and that changes.
How short names change hands
A short name only becomes free when its owner changes to another name: 37 days later it drops, and the first person to ask for it gets it. That is the honest way to get an OG name, and it is the one this site is built for: the list of 3-letter drops shows every three-character name we know is coming back, with its window.
The other way people try is buying an account that already has the name. That is against the rules of Minecraft accounts, and it is where most of the scams in this area happen: the article on name scams explains why.
Realistic hopes
If you want a 3L, expect competition: for a wanted three-letter name many people try in the same seconds, and some use programs to do it. A clean four-letter name, a short word with an underscore at the end, or a five-letter name that means something to you are much more reachable, and many players are happier with those in the end. Whatever you choose, the name checker tells you where it stands today.
