WASHINGTON — The State Department on Wednesday unveiled four tiered categories to warn travelers of potential dangers overseas, using common-sense language ranging from ‘‘Exercise normal precaution’’ to ‘‘Do not travel.’’

The new rankings replace the vague and often confusing system of issuing ‘‘travel alerts’’ for short-term dangers posed by events like health epidemics or mass protests, and ‘‘travel warnings’’ for long-standing concerns like armed conflict or political instability.

Michelle Bernier-Toth, head of Overseas Citizens Services, said the changes were made because so few people understood the distinctions in the previous rankings.

‘‘I personally was tired of explaining the difference between a travel warning and a travel alert, even to some of my colleagues,’’ she said.

Eleven countries come with the do-not-travel recommendation: Mali, Central African Republic, Libya, South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and North Korea.

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