What is a passphrase and should you use one?

Passphrases are the newest way to create passwords. They are often considered more secure and easier to remember than traditional passwords, but what exactly is a passphrase? Simply put, passphrases are passwords created by putting multiple common words together instead of a randomly generated set of letters, numbers, and characters.

As our digital lives grow more complex and the number of online accounts we manage skyrockets, the need for robust security has never been higher. Yet, human memory hasn't received a matching upgrade. Here’s everything you need to know about passphrases to decide if you should use them to bridge the gap between human convenience and robust cybersecurity.

TeamPassword is the best way to store passphrases online. Don’t believe us? Sign up for a 14-day free trial today and try for yourself.

What is a passphrase?

It seems like everyday we hear about a new “future of passwords” concept, from single sign on (SSO) to biometrics or passkeys. If you are wondering about how these newer passwordless technologies function, you can read our deep dive on Passkey technology.

However, unlike all of these other solutions, passphrases are really a low-tech way to make passwords more secure and easier to remember. While passkeys are excellent and highly recommended for individual site logins on your personal devices, passphrases remain the absolute best choice for a master password—the single, highly secure key used to unlock your secure credential vault.

Simply put, passphrases are a set of three or more words put together to create a very long and therefore secure password. Here’s an example:

Passphrase example: Monkey-Plains-Milk-Europe

At 25 characters long, it’s already extremely secure. What’s really valuable is how much easier it is to remember. In fact, you’ll probably remember “monkey plains milk Europe” a week from now. While you can use spaces as valid characters, using hyphens (-) is a very common way to add character complexity while keeping the passphrase incredibly easy to type on a mobile device or a standard keyboard.

You could make it even more secure by substituting a few numbers and characters:

Passphrase example: Monkey-Pl4ins-Milk-Eur0pe!

Passphrase vs. Password: Why Length Matters

Passphrases are a set of words put together and used as a password. Conversely, when looking at a traditional password, it’s a random jumble of letters, numbers, and characters. 

Here’s an example from our free password generator: ac=oei$EdrN5`2k

There’s no question that is a hard password to guess, but is it really that secure? At 15 characters long and no discernable pattern for a dictionary attack, it would force computers to run a brute force attack. 

However, with the rise of AI and modern GPU hardware, computers can brute-force short, complex passwords faster than ever. This perfectly highlights why the sheer length of a passphrase is its greatest defense. A computer brute-forcing a password guesses character by character. When you use random dictionary words, the computer isn't just guessing letters; it has to guess the exact combination of words out of a dictionary of tens of thousands of words. That requires exponentially more computing power.

Our example above, Monkey-Pl4ins-Milk-Eur0pe!, is changed enough to make a dictionary attack impossible, is far longer (26 characters), and is easy to remember. In fact, you might never forget “monkey plains milk Europe” again! 

XKCD summarized this problem brilliantly in one of their most famous comics. Essentially, traditional passwords are usually not long enough to trick computers running brute force attacks, but they are still too complicated for humans to remember. That’s completely backwards.

Ideally, we want easy for humans, hard for computers passwords and not the other way around. That’s where passphrases come in. “Monkey-Pl4ins-Milk-Eur0pe!” is very, very hard for a computer to crack, while you’ve probably memorized it for life at this point.

How secure are passphrases?

Passwords are only as secure as the way they are stored. That’s the same for passphrases. If you have a super complicated password on a sticky note in the corner of your monitor, then you do not have a secure password. Since passphrases are easier to remember, they are often stored in the brain, making them more secure than equally long random passwords.

Furthermore, boosting your security posture with passphrases aligns perfectly with the latest National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidelines. For years, IT departments forced users to create passwords with uppercase letters, numbers, and symbols, and change them every 90 days. The result? People experienced password fatigue and simply changed "Password1!" to "Password2!". NIST now explicitly recommends prioritizing longer passphrases over traditional complex passwords, removing arbitrary symbol requirements and frequent expiration policies in favor of sheer length.

That being said, most people require hundreds of passwords, and even though passphrases are easier to remember, that doesn’t make 200 of them easy to remember. 

The pros and cons of passphrases

Passphrases can certainly be considered better in a lot of ways than passwords. However, they still have some of the same big vulnerabilities if used incorrectly. Here is a breakdown of how they compare:

Feature	Traditional Password	Passphrase
Example	ac=oei$EdrN5`2k	Monkey-Plains-Milk-Europe
Memorability	Very Low (Often requires writing down)	High (Easy to visualize and remember)
Length & Entropy	Usually 8-15 characters	Usually 20+ characters (exponentially stronger)
Typing Ease	Difficult, especially on mobile devices	Easy, uses standard dictionary words and hyphens/spaces
Vulnerabilities	AI and GPUs can brute-force short lengths quickly	Vulnerable to dictionary attacks if using common phrases

A passphrase is not necessarily more secure

Remember that dictionary attacks exist. If you pick words that are commonly used in passwords to make your passphrase, then you are at risk of a dictionary attack. For example, “PasswordPasswordPassword” is still going to be cracked in seconds. If your words are short, for example “DogIceUp”, then you still have an easy-to-crack password.

Passphrases are still vulnerable to the same storage mistakes

If you store passphrases in unsafe locations, for example a sticky note on your monitor or an unprotected Google Sheets document, then it is still at risk of being stolen. In the modern workspace, this also includes feeding credentials into unsecured generative AI prompts. If someone—or something—can find your passphrase, then it doesn’t matter if it’s long and complex.

A passphrase is easy to remember, but hundreds are not

You are probably getting tired of “monkey plains milk Europe” at this point because it is stuck in your head. However, if you need 200 accounts, then it might not be the easiest task to remember 800 words. 

If you cheat and use the same passphrase across your accounts, then getting pwned once means hackers have all of your information. 

When to Use a Passphrase vs. a Password Manager

Yes, passphrases are great. If you are looking for a super strong password for your email account or password manager, then a passphrase is a great option. Use a super complex passphrase to keep these key accounts safe. 

However, it’s not recommended to use passphrases for every single account you need to access. Trying to remember hundreds of passphrases is impossible, and human nature will inevitably lead you to start reusing them. It’s best to use a handful of highly secure passphrases to protect key accounts (like your device login and your password vault) and then let a password manager remember the rest of them for you.

6 steps to creating and remembering a strong passphrase

Building a passphrase is easy. Actually, it can even be fun!

Here are 6 steps to follow to create and remember a strong passphrase:

    

1. Avoid common phrases (Try Diceware instead): Using four random words can create a strong passphrase. Using a common phrase like “TomBradyIsTheGOAT” will leave you vulnerable to dictionary attacks because the words naturally follow one another in human speech. Instead, try the Diceware method—rolling physical dice to select truly random words from a master list. This guarantees an unpredictable, highly secure phrase that makes no logical sense to a computer.
2. Jokes are easier to remember: If you think something is funny, then you’ll remember it. However, it won’t necessarily be an easy to predict phrase for a computer or someone making a social engineering attempt. For example, “NoisyGiraffeInfestation” is funny but not exactly what you’d think would naturally go together in a sentence. 
3. Add an unusual word or two: This is the point where you pull out your thesaurus and pick one of the alternative words. For example, I’ve always liked “parsimonious” instead of “cheap” to describe someone unwilling to spend money. The more obscure the word, the harder it is for basic cracking algorithms to guess.
4. Avoid common password words: We all know “password” should be avoided, but did you know ice, rice, tea, and pie are the most common food items in passwords? It’s best to avoid anything in the top 100 most common passwords at a minimum.
5. Substitute in numbers and symbols: Just like normal passwords, passphrases should also have upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Using hyphens (-) is an excellent way to break up words, as they naturally separate characters while adding entropy. Where possible, consider unusual substitutions to prevent advanced dictionary attacks. While “4” is often used for “A”, consider “7” for an upside-down “L”.
6. Practice typing your passphrase: Type out your passphrase 20 or 30 times to make sure you don’t forget. Even if you’ve memorized “monkey plains milk Europe” for life, “Monkey-Pl4ins-Milk-Eur0pe!” isn’t quite as easy because of the specific character placements. Since passphrases should be used to protect your most important accounts, you don’t want to forget yours!

TeamPassword is the best way to store and share passphrases and passwords

Passphrases are a great new way to create complex passwords that are still easy to remember. If you’ve read this far, you’ll never forget “monkey plains milk Europe” and that’s the whole point. They are long and easy to remember.

However, it is still not easy to remember hundreds of passphrases, so use them for your core accounts and then let a password manager create, store, and update your other complex passwords for you. 

For example, we strongly recommend creating a passphrase to use as your master password for your TeamPassword account. This password unlocks your entire vault, and is not stored by us, so we cannot reset it if you lose it!

Your master password must be strong and memorable. 

Sign up for a 14-day free trial today to see why TeamPassword is the easiest way to store passwords online and share them with your team.

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