Although transcription activator–like effector nucleases (TALENs) can be designed to cleave chosen DNA sequences, TALENs have activity against related off-target sequences. To better understand TALEN specificity, we profiled 30 unique TALENs with different target sites, array length and domain sequences for their abilities to cleave any of 10¹² potential off-target DNA sequences using in vitro selection and high-throughput sequencing. Computational analysis of the selection results predicted 76 off-target substrates in the human genome, 16 of which were accessible and modified by TALENs in human cells. The results suggest that (i) TALE repeats bind DNA relatively independently; (ii) longer TALENs are more tolerant of mismatches yet are more specific in a genomic context; and (iii) excessive DNA-binding energy can lead to reduced TALEN specificity in cells. Based on these findings, we engineered a TALEN variant that exhibits equal on-target cleavage activity but tenfold lower average off-target activity in human cells.