English isn’t my first language. When I first heard “n-eight-n”, my brain kept hearing “n and n” – because “eight” and “and” can sound similar in fast speech.
Then one day, I glanced at my keyboard and something caught my eye: the digit 8 and the symbol & (above the 7 key) look almost identical. The only difference is that & has a small tail on the right, while 8 is clean – no extra strokes.
Why would anyone replace & with 8? Probably because & is a special character – it causes problems in domain names, file names, code identifiers, etc. Swapping it with 8 keeps the visual meaning while avoiding technical headaches.
That’s when it clicked: by replacing the problematic & with a clean 8, the name doesn’t just avoid technical issues — it also feels like a promise that n8n itself helps you sidestep automation headaches.
This tiny design decision made me appreciate the n8n name on a whole new level. Just wanted to share that feedback.