diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 84f4da9..6da4af9 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -8,21 +8,27 @@
 
 # URL Encoder for Java
 
-A simple library to encode/decode URL parameters.
+A simple defensive library to encode/decode URL components.
 
 This library was extracted from the [RIFE2 Web Application Framework](https://rife2.com).  
 A Kotlin version can also be found at [https://github.com/ethauvin/urlencoder](https://github.com/ethauvin/urlencoder).
 
-For decades, we've been using [java.net.URLEncoder](https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/11/docs/api/java.base/java/net/URLEncoder.html)
-because of its improper naming. It is actually intended to encode HTML form
-parameters, not URLs, causing the wrong escape sequences to be used.
+The rules are determined by combining the unreserved character set from
+[RFC 3986](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3986#page-13) with the
+percent-encode set from
+[application/x-www-form-urlencoded](https://url.spec.whatwg.org/#application-x-www-form-urlencoded-percent-encode-set).
 
-Additionally, `java.net.URLEncoder` allocates memory even when no encoding is
-necessary, significantly impacting performance. This library has a negligible
-performance impact when a specified string doesn't need to be encoded.
+Both specs above support percent decoding of two hexadecimal digits to a
+binary octet, however their unreserved set of characters differs and
+`application/x-www-form-urlencoded` adds conversion of space to `+`,
+that has the potential to be misunderstood.
 
-Android's [Uri.encode](https://developer.android.com/reference/android/net/Uri#encode(java.lang.String,%20java.lang.String))
-also addresses the same issues.
+This class encodes with rules that will be decoded correctly in either case.
+
+Additionally, this library allocates no memory when encoding isn't needed and
+does the work in a single pass without multiple loops, both of these
+optimizations have a significantly beneficial impact on performance of encoding
+compared to other solutions like the standard URLEncoder in the JDK.
 
 ## Examples (TL;DR)
 
@@ -57,7 +63,7 @@ You have two options:
 The usage is as follows:
 
 ```
-Encode and decode URL parameters.
+Encode and decode URL components defensively.
   -e  encode (default)
   -d  decode
 ```
diff --git a/lib/src/main/java/com/uwyn/urlencoder/UrlEncoder.java b/lib/src/main/java/com/uwyn/urlencoder/UrlEncoder.java
index 7a2de08..8e736f3 100644
--- a/lib/src/main/java/com/uwyn/urlencoder/UrlEncoder.java
+++ b/lib/src/main/java/com/uwyn/urlencoder/UrlEncoder.java
@@ -8,9 +8,19 @@ import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
 import java.util.*;
 
 /**
- * URL encoding and decoding.
+ * Most defensive approach to URL encoding and decoding.
  * <p>
- * Rules determined by <a href="https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3986#page-13">RFC 3986</a>.
+ * Rules determined by combining the unreserved character set from
+ * <a href="https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3986#page-13">RFC 3986</a> with
+ * the percent-encode set from
+ * <a href="https://url.spec.whatwg.org/#application-x-www-form-urlencoded-percent-encode-set">application/x-www-form-urlencoded</a>.
+ * <p>
+ * Both specs above support percent decoding of two hexadecimal digits to a
+ * binary octet, however their unreserved set of characters differs and
+ * {@code application/x-www-form-urlencoded} adds conversion of space to +,
+ * which has the potential to be misunderstood.
+ * <p>
+ * This class encodes with rules that will be decoded correctly in either case.
  *
  * @author Geert Bevin (gbevin[remove] at uwyn dot com)
  * @author Erik C. Thauvin (erik@thauvin.net)
@@ -22,14 +32,13 @@ public final class UrlEncoder {
 
     static {
         // see https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3986#page-13
-        var unreserved = new BitSet('~' + 1);
+        var unreserved = new BitSet('z' + 1);
         unreserved.set('-');
         unreserved.set('.');
         for (int c = '0'; c <= '9'; ++c) unreserved.set(c);
         for (int c = 'A'; c <= 'Z'; ++c) unreserved.set(c);
         unreserved.set('_');
         for (int c = 'a'; c <= 'z'; ++c) unreserved.set(c);
-        unreserved.set('~');
         UNRESERVED_URI_CHARS = unreserved;
     }
 
@@ -216,7 +225,7 @@ public final class UrlEncoder {
 
     // see https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3986#page-13
     private static boolean isUnreservedUriChar(char ch) {
-        return ch <= '~' && UNRESERVED_URI_CHARS.get(ch);
+        return ch <= 'z' && UNRESERVED_URI_CHARS.get(ch);
     }
 
     static class MainResult {
diff --git a/lib/src/test/java/com/uwyn/urlencoder/UrlEncoderTest.java b/lib/src/test/java/com/uwyn/urlencoder/UrlEncoderTest.java
index ecf6624..99cf385 100644
--- a/lib/src/test/java/com/uwyn/urlencoder/UrlEncoderTest.java
+++ b/lib/src/test/java/com/uwyn/urlencoder/UrlEncoderTest.java
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.*;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.params.provider.Arguments.arguments;
 
 class UrlEncoderTest {
-    private final String same = "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVQXYZ0123456789-_.~";
+    private final String same = "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVQXYZ0123456789-_.";
 
     private static Stream<String> invalid() {
         return Stream.of("sdkjfh%", "sdkjfh%6", "sdkjfh%xx", "sdfjfh%-1");
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ class UrlEncoderTest {
                 arguments("a test &", "a%20test%20%26"),
                 arguments(
                         "!abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz%%ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVQXYZ0123456789-_.~=",
-                        "%21abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz%25%25ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVQXYZ0123456789-_.~%3D"
+                        "%21abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz%25%25ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVQXYZ0123456789-_.%7E%3D"
                 ),
                 arguments("%#okékÉȢ smile!😁", "%25%23ok%C3%A9k%C3%89%C8%A2%20smile%21%F0%9F%98%81"),
                 arguments(