Seed Phrases and Private Keys

What a seed phrase is

When you create a wallet, it shows you a seed phrase: usually 12, 15, or 24 ordinary English words from the BIP39 word list. Those words are a human-readable backup of the master key. Every private key and address in the wallet is derived from them.

The word count depends on the wallet app. Whatever count yours shows, back up every word.

Anyone who has your seed phrase can rebuild your wallet on their own device and take everything in it. No password, email, or 2FA can stop them.

The one rule

Backing it up properly

• Write it on paper (or stamp it into metal) in the exact order shown.
• Store it somewhere private, safe from fire and water. Some people keep two copies in different places.
• Don't store it in photos, cloud notes, email, or password managers that sync online.
• Double-check every word. One misspelled word can make the backup useless.

Optional passphrase

Many wallets support an extra passphrase, sometimes called the "25th word". It creates a completely different wallet from the same seed words. It adds protection if someone finds your paper, but if you forget the passphrase, the funds are gone. Only use it if you'll reliably remember it or back it up separately.