Bitcoin legacy, P2SH, SegWit and Taproot addresses
Bitcoin mainnet addresses beginning 1, 3, bc1q and bc1p represent different output/address families. Their appearance does not rank their safety or prove a recipient’s identity.
Worked example
| Mainnet shape | Family | Encoding |
|---|---|---|
| 1… | P2PKH / legacy | Base58Check |
| 3… | P2SH, possibly nested SegWit | Base58Check |
| bc1q… | Witness version 0 | Bech32 |
| bc1p… | Witness version 1 / Taproot | Bech32m |
Why a 3 prefix is ambiguous
P2SH commits to a script hash. It can wrap a SegWit spending program, but the visible address alone does not reveal every script condition. Do not describe every 3 address as SegWit or as multisignature.
Compatibility workflow
Use an address your receiving wallet supplies. Check that the sending service supports that family on Bitcoin mainnet. A service refusing bc1p may have an implementation limitation; changing characters in the address cannot make it compatible.
Common pitfalls
- Prefixes here are incomplete explanatory shapes, not payable examples.
- Bitcoin test networks use different prefixes; Bitcoin Cash and other systems require separate identification.
Related references
Primary sources
Examples explain identifiers. They are not investment recommendations.