Slug Generator

What Is a URL Slug?

A slug is the human-readable part of a URL that identifies a specific page in a way that is easy to read and safe to put in a web address. It is the segment that usually follows the domain and any folders, such as what-is-a-url-slug in example.com/blog/what-is-a-url-slug. Because URLs can only safely contain a limited set of characters, a slug strips out spaces, punctuation, and other symbols and replaces them with a single separator, leaving only letters, numbers, and that separator behind.

Slugs matter beyond the address bar. The same cleaning process is useful for generating file names, database keys, anchor IDs, CSS class names, image names, and API identifiers — anywhere you need a predictable, lowercase, space-free string derived from arbitrary human text. A good slug stays readable to a person while remaining valid everywhere a machine has to handle it. This tool turns any title, headline, or sentence into that kind of clean identifier in real time.

How to Use This Slug Generator

Type or paste your text into the Enter Text box and the slug appears instantly in the Generated Slug field as you type. Use the Separator dropdown to switch between a hyphen, underscore, or dot between words. Set a Max length (0 means unlimited) to cap the slug — it truncates at the nearest separator boundary so words are never cut in half. The Lowercase checkbox forces everything to lowercase, and Transliterate accents converts accented and special letters to their plain ASCII equivalents.

The character count under the field updates live, and the Copy button copies the finished slug to your clipboard in one click. Nothing is sent anywhere — the conversion runs entirely in your browser.

Real-World Use Cases

• Blog and article URLs — turn a post title like "10 Tips for Better Sleep!" into 10-tips-for-better-sleep for a clean, shareable permalink.
• File and asset names — generate safe names for uploads, exports, or downloads that work across operating systems.
• Anchor links and IDs — create stable id values for headings so you can link directly to a section of a page.
• Product and category handles — produce consistent store URLs and SKUs from product names that contain spaces or symbols.
• API keys and config values — derive predictable string identifiers from labels for use in code, YAML, or JSON.

Tips for Creating Good Slugs

• Prefer hyphens over underscores for web URLs — search engines treat hyphens as word separators but read underscores as joining characters.
• Keep slugs short and meaningful; trim filler words that add length without adding clarity before you generate.
• Leave transliteration on if your text contains accented characters so café becomes cafe rather than being dropped.
• Use the max length cap for sites or systems that limit URL or identifier length, and let it break on a word boundary.
• Once a slug is published, avoid changing it — set up a redirect instead, since changing a live URL breaks existing links and bookmarks.

Features

• Real-time conversion — the slug updates instantly as you type, with no button to press.
• Accent transliteration — converts characters such as ä→a, ñ→n, ü→u, ß→ss, and many more to ASCII.
• Selectable separator — choose a hyphen, underscore, or dot between words.
• Smart max length — truncate long slugs at a separator boundary so words stay intact.
• Optional lowercasing — force lowercase output or keep the original case.
• One-click copy — copy the result to your clipboard with the Copy button.
• 100% client-side — your data never leaves your browser.

Frequently Asked Questions

What characters does the slug generator keep?

It keeps letters, numbers, and your chosen separator. Spaces and existing hyphens or underscores are collapsed into a single separator, and all other punctuation and symbols are removed entirely.

Should I use hyphens or underscores in URLs?

For web URLs, hyphens are the safer choice because search engines treat them as word separators while underscores are read as joining the words together. The tool defaults to a hyphen but lets you pick an underscore or dot when another system requires it.

How does the transliteration option work?

When enabled, it maps common accented and special Latin characters to their closest plain ASCII letters, so Müller becomes muller and naïve becomes naive. With it disabled, those characters are simply stripped out instead of converted.

What does setting a maximum length do?

A max length caps the slug at that number of characters. Rather than cutting in the middle of a word, the tool trims back to the last separator before the limit, so the result ends on a complete word whenever possible. Leaving it at 0 means no limit.

Is my text uploaded to a server?

No. The entire slug is generated by JavaScript running inside your browser. Nothing you type is sent over the network, which makes the tool private and able to work offline.

Can I generate slugs from non-English text?

Yes for languages that use the Latin alphabet with accents, which the transliteration map handles. Scripts outside that range, such as Cyrillic, Arabic, or CJK characters, are not transliterated and will be removed, so for those you may want to provide a romanized version of the text.