passphrase
PASS-frayz
/ˈpɑːs.freɪz/
A sequence of words or text used as a password to control access to a computer system, service, or data.
Longer than a traditional password, typically composed of multiple words, making it easier to remember and harder to crack.
The story behind the word. Combines 'pass' (from Latin 'passus', a step or permission to move forward) with 'phrase' (from Greek 'phrasis', expression or speech). The term originated in late 20th-century computing as cybersecurity researchers realized that combining several random words created exponential entropy, yielding greater cryptographic strength than short passwords with weird symbols.
Word relationships
- password: A password is typically a single short word or string, whereas a passphrase consists of multiple words formed into a sentence or phrase.
- passcode: A passcode usually refers to short numeric PINs on mobile devices.
Commonly confused with
- credential: A passphrase is one specific type of secret text; credentials include usernames, passphrases, and tokens combined.
Collocations
- strong passphrase
- master passphrase
- enter passphrase
- memorize passphrase
Example sentences
- "Security experts recommend using a long passphrase containing four random words instead of a short, complex password." Account Protection
Memory hook
A PASSPHRASE is a PHRASE that lets you PASS. Multi-word password.
When not to use
Do not use to describe short single-word codes or numeric PINs.
Fun facts
- A 20-character passphrase made of four common English words takes modern computer superclusters billions of years to brute-force crack.
Related words
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