Passphrase Examples: How to Create a Strong Passphrase (2026)

Passphrases are easier to remember and harder to crack than traditional passwords. See examples, learn the method, and create your own strong passphrase.

Traditional passwords like Kx9#mPw2 are strong but impossible to remember. Passphrases solve this by using multiple random words instead of random characters — giving you the same (or better) security with something you can actually type from memory. This guide provides passphrase examples, explains the method, and shows you how to create one that's both memorable and unbreakable.

1. What Is a Passphrase?

A passphrase is a password made up of multiple words rather than a random string of characters. Instead of something like Rv2@nQ8f, you use something like:

This famous example (from the webcomic xkcd) illustrates the core idea: four random, unrelated words strung together create a password that is:

• Long — 28 characters, far exceeding any minimum requirement
• Random — no logical connection between the words
• Memorable — you can picture a correct horse, a battery, and a staple
• Hard to crack — an attacker guessing random word combinations would need to try billions of possibilities

2. Passphrase vs Password: What's the Difference?

The takeaway: use random character passwords for accounts stored in your password manager, and use passphrases for the few passwords you actually need to remember — like your password manager master password, laptop login, or phone unlock.

3. Passphrase Examples

Here are passphrase examples using random, unrelated words. Do not use these exact passphrases — use them as inspiration to understand the format.

These are published examples — do not use them directly. Generate your own passphrase with random words.

4. Strong Passphrase Examples with Symbols

Adding numbers and symbols between words makes your passphrase even stronger and helps it meet requirements for services that demand mixed character types. Here are password phrase examples with modifications:

These modified passphrases are easy to remember (picture the words), long (28-37 characters), and meet every requirement — uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols. This is the gold standard for passwords you need to type from memory.

5. Strongest Password Examples

Looking for the strongest password examples? The absolute strongest passwords combine maximum length with maximum randomness. Here's how they compare:

All three are essentially uncrackable through brute force. The difference is memorability. For your password manager master password or laptop login, a modified passphrase gives you the best balance of security and usability.

6. How to Create a Strong Passphrase

Follow these rules to create a strong passphrase that's both secure and memorable:

1. Use at least 4 words — 5-6 words for critical accounts
2. Choose truly random words — don't pick words that logically go together (like "blue sky sunny day")
3. Avoid personal words — no pet names, family names, favourite bands, or birthdays
4. Add at least one number and one symbol — this satisfies services that require mixed character types
5. Capitalise at least one word — satisfies uppercase requirements
6. Never use quotes, lyrics, or famous phrases — attackers check these first
7. Make it unique — never reuse a passphrase across accounts

The Mental Image Technique

The easiest way to remember a passphrase is to create a vivid mental image. For Marble$Sunset7!Penguin&River, picture a marble rolling off a cliff at sunset while a penguin watches from a river. The more absurd the image, the easier it sticks.

7. The Diceware Method

The Diceware method is the gold standard for generating truly random passphrases. Here's how it works:

1. Roll five dice (or one die five times) to get a 5-digit number
2. Look up the number in the Diceware word list — each number maps to a specific word
3. Repeat for each word you want (4-6 times)
4. String the words together as your passphrase

Why dice? Because humans are terrible at being random. When people "randomly" choose words, they unconsciously pick related words, common words, or words from their recent memory. Dice ensure true randomness.

Don't have dice? Our password generator uses cryptographically secure random number generation — the digital equivalent of rolling perfect dice.

8. Passphrases to Avoid

Not all passphrases are secure. These types are easily cracked despite being long:

The golden rule: if someone could guess your passphrase by knowing things about you, it's not random enough. The words must have no logical connection to each other or to your life.

9. Where to Use Passphrases

Passphrases are ideal for situations where you need to type a password from memory:

10. Generate Your Own Passphrase

Instead of choosing words yourself (which is never truly random), use a generator to create a cryptographically random passphrase:

Our password generator creates random passwords and passphrases of any length. You can customise the character types, length, and format. Then use our password complexity checker to verify the strength.

11. How to Store Your Passphrases

The whole point of a passphrase is that you can remember it. But you should still have a backup plan. Here are your options:

A dedicated password manager like NordPass stores your passphrases with XChaCha20 encryption and works across all your devices. You memorise one strong passphrase as your master password, and NordPass handles the rest — generating unique passwords for every account and auto-filling them when you log in.

12. Frequently Asked Questions

Need passwords for specific services? Check out our Strong Password Generator, Apple ID Password Generator, or browse our full password generator directory.