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Seed Phrases

12 or 24 words that ARE your Bitcoin — understand them completely

What Is a Seed Phrase?

A seed phrase (also called recovery phrase or mnemonic) is a list of 12 or 24 words that represents your Bitcoin wallet. From these words, your wallet derives all your private keys, public keys, and addresses.

Example 12-word seed phrase (DO NOT USE):

1
abandon
2
ability
3
able
4
about
5
above
6
absent
7
absorb
8
abstract
9
absurd
10
abuse
11
access
12
accident

This is a well-known test seed. Never use example phrases for real funds!

🔑 Think: A Master Key

Your seed phrase is like a master key that can open every lock in a building. From this one key, you can create unlimited copies of every specific room key (addresses). Anyone with the master key controls everything.

How Secure Is 12/24 Words?

The words come from a standardized list of 2,048 words (BIP-39). The security is astronomical:

2048¹²
12-word combinations
~2¹²⁸
Bits of entropy
10³⁹
Possible phrases
To put this in perspective: If you could check 1 trillion seed phrases per second, it would take longer than the age of the universe to try them all. The sun would burn out first. Multiple times.

12 vs 24 Words

Aspect 12 Words 24 Words
Entropy 128 bits 256 bits
Security More than enough Overkill (quantum-resistant)
Ease of backup Easier to write/store More words to protect
Common use Most mobile wallets Hardware wallets
Both are secure. 12 words provides 128 bits of entropy — already beyond brute-force capability. 24 words adds margin for future quantum computers.

Storing Your Seed Phrase

📝
Paper (Basic)

Write on paper, store in safe location. Simple but vulnerable to fire, water, fading.

🔩
Steel/Metal Backup

Stamp or engrave on steel plate. Fire-proof, water-proof, nearly indestructible.

🏦
Bank Safety Deposit Box

Secure location, but bank has access. Consider with passphrase for extra protection.

☁️
Cloud Storage / Photos / Notes App

NEVER. If your account is hacked, your Bitcoin is gone. No exceptions.

The #1 rule: Your seed phrase should never exist in digital form. No photos, no cloud backup, no password manager, no email to yourself. Digital = hackable.

Advanced: Passphrases (25th Word)

A passphrase (sometimes called "25th word") adds extra protection. Your 12/24 words + passphrase creates a completely different wallet.

How It Works:

Warning: If you forget your passphrase, your Bitcoin is lost forever. The passphrase is not recoverable. Write it down separately from your seed phrase.

Scam Awareness

🚨 NEVER Enter Your Seed Phrase:

Common Scam Patterns:

Scam Type How It Works
Fake wallet apps App steals seed when you create/import wallet
Phishing sites "Verify your wallet" to claim fake rewards
Fake support Impersonator asks for seed to "help" you
Pre-loaded hardware wallets Seed is already known by scammer
Social engineering "I work for Ledger, we need to verify..."
The Only Time You Enter Your Seed Phrase:

When restoring a wallet on a new device or app that YOU initiated. Never in response to any prompt, email, message, or request.

What If I Lose My Seed Phrase?

If you still have wallet access:

  1. Create a new wallet with a new seed phrase
  2. Properly backup the new seed phrase
  3. Transfer all funds from old wallet to new wallet
  4. The old wallet is now empty and abandoned

If you've lost both seed phrase AND wallet access:

Your Bitcoin is gone forever. There is no recovery. No customer support. No reset password. This is why backup is critical.

Prevention is everything. Multiple backups in different secure locations. Test recovery before depositing significant funds. Treat your seed phrase like it's worth whatever amount of Bitcoin you'll ever store.

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