diff --git a/API.md b/API.md
index 8ca55fd..24e7c36 100644
--- a/API.md
+++ b/API.md
@@ -424,7 +424,7 @@ router
 
 ### Router.url(path, params) ⇒ <code>String</code>
 
-Generate URL from url pattern and given `params`.
+Generate URL from url pattern and given `params`. This method URL-encodes the parameters before including them in the URL.
 
 **Kind**: static method of <code>[Router](#exp_module_koa-router--Router)</code>
 
diff --git a/lib/layer.js b/lib/layer.js
index 5ad4d38..7cddcbe 100644
--- a/lib/layer.js
+++ b/lib/layer.js
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ Layer.prototype.url = function (params, options) {
     }
   }
 
-  const toPath = compile(url, options);
+  const toPath = compile(url, { encode: encodeURIComponent, ...options });
   let replaced;
 
   const tokens = parse(url);
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index b2e9259..bb0fbaa 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "@koa/router",
   "description": "Router middleware for koa. Maintained by Forward Email and Lad.",
-  "version": "11.0.1",
+  "version": "12.0.0",
   "author": "Alex Mingoia <talk@alexmingoia.com>",
   "bugs": {
     "url": "https://github.com/koajs/router/issues",
diff --git a/test/lib/layer.js b/test/lib/layer.js
index f202be5..9b82847 100644
--- a/test/lib/layer.js
+++ b/test/lib/layer.js
@@ -303,6 +303,17 @@ describe('Layer', function () {
       url.should.equal('/programming/how-to-node');
     });
 
+    it('escapes using encodeURIComponent()', function () {
+      const route = new Layer('/:category/:title', ['get'], [function () {}], {
+        name: 'books'
+      });
+      const url = route.url({
+        category: 'programming',
+        title: 'how to node & js/ts'
+      });
+      url.should.equal('/programming/how%20to%20node%20%26%20js%2Fts');
+    });
+
     it('setPrefix method checks Layer for path', function () {
       const route = new Layer('/category', ['get'], [function () {}], {
         name: 'books'
diff --git a/test/lib/router.js b/test/lib/router.js
index 547bfb1..67da1e1 100644
--- a/test/lib/router.js
+++ b/test/lib/router.js
@@ -1674,6 +1674,14 @@ describe('Router', function () {
       router.url('Picard').should.be.Error();
       router.url(Symbol('books')).should.be.Error();
     });
+
+    it('escapes using encodeURIComponent()', function () {
+      const url = Router.url('/:category/:title', {
+        category: 'programming',
+        title: 'how to node & js/ts'
+      });
+      url.should.equal('/programming/how%20to%20node%20%26%20js%2Fts');
+    });
   });
 
   describe('Router#param()', function () {