Domains with Diacritics vs Without – What’s the Difference and What to Choose?

1. What are domains with diacritics (IDN)?

Domains with diacritics are IDNs (Internationalized Domain Names) that include specific Romanian characters such as ă, î, â, ș, ț. For example, măr.ro is technically different from mar.ro, even if they look similar to the eye.

2. Are they the same domain?

No. From a technical perspective, oras.ro and oraș.ro are two separate domains. They can be owned by different people and do not redirect to each other. A simple typo or the lack of special characters may lead users to a different website.

3. What do we recommend?

• Use the version without diacritics as your main domain (e.g. oras.ro);
• You may register the diacritic version as well, but redirect it to the main one;
• Do not use only diacritic domains in emails, ads, or public communication — users may mistype or devices may fail to recognize the characters.

4. Limitations and risks

• Compatibility issues: some older browsers or email clients may not render Romanian characters correctly;
• Typing difficulty: most keyboards don’t include Romanian letters by default;
• SEO limitations: while Google can index IDNs, it’s harder to manage canonical and redirect rules between versions.

5. Once registered, IDNs cannot be changed or reversed

Important: IDN domains (with diacritics) cannot be cancelled or corrected after registration. If you register păine.ro and meant paine.ro, you must purchase the second one separately. Always double-check before confirming the order.

6. Conclusion

Domains with diacritics can reinforce local identity and branding, but they carry usability and compatibility risks. At Mioritichost, we strongly recommend using the non-diacritic domain as your main address, and keeping the diacritic version as a redirect. Make your decision carefully — it’s a permanent one.