A recovery phrase is a set of words from the BIP39 wordlist that is used by crypto wallets to generate private keys for different blockchains. The two most common recovery phrase lengths are 12 and 24 words. Here’s an example of a 12-word recovery phrase:
torch border silk much onion taste impose hello mad dizzy rival unfold
The main benefit of using a wallet with a recovery phrase is that you only need to store a single backup, while being able to receive crypto assets on many different addresses and blockchains. This makes backing up and restoring your wallet easier. It also allows you to migrate between different crypto wallets with ease, without actually transferring your crypto assets on the different blockchains.
For users with no existing crypto wallet, Bifrost Wallet generates a new recovery phrase locally on the user’s device. For users with an existing crypto wallet, Bifrost Wallet allows the user to import an existing 12- or 24-word recovery phrase. You can for example migrate to Bifrost Wallet from a Ledger hardware wallet with a 24-word recovery phrase or from a MetaMask software wallet with a 12-word recovery phrase. In general, any crypto wallet with a recovery phrase can be imported to Bifrost Wallet.
Bifrost Wallet stores the generated or imported recovery phrase in encrypted form, locally on the user’s device. Access to the recovery phrase is protected by the user’s PIN code or biometrics.
IMPORTANT: Please note that Towo Labs or Bifrost Wallet team members will never ask for your recovery phrase and you should never disclose it to anyone.
Anyone that gets hold of your recovery phrase can take all of your crypto assets. Your recovery phrase is the only backup of your private keys and the only way to access your crypto assets. If you for example forget your PIN code or if your phone is ever damaged, lost or stolen, you will need your recovery phrase to restore your Bifrost Wallet and regain access to your crypto assets.
What is a Recovery Phrase?
An explanation of what a Recovery phrase is along with some security tips and troubleshooting steps.
Written by Brittany. Updated over a week ago
Recovery phrases, also known as ‘seed words’ or ‘mnemonic phrases’, are ordered lists of 12 — 24 words that bring you to specific and unique wallet addresses. Each phrase generates a near-infinite amount of addresses, but always in the same order.
Most wallet interfaces support just one public address and pick the first one from the list. When you use a phrase on MEW web, you’ll see the first five addresses with the option to view more. If you’re using our MEW wallet app, each additional account is just the next address down the list of addresses that are generated from your phrase.
These phrases are meant to be used for recovery purposes only, and not as the main, daily method of wallet access. Like a private key, a phrase represents sensitive information about your wallet and should be treated with great care.
If you lose the phrase or it becomes compromised, we won’t be able to help you. As long as you have your phrase, you have full control over your assets and can restore your wallet in any interface that accepts phrases for recovery (examples include hardware wallets Trezor and Ledger, MetaMask, Trust and many other Ethereum wallets).
Phrases can sometimes be paired with an extra word, also called a passphrase, for added encryption and security. For example, 12-word phrases become 13 words, and 24-word phrases become 25 words. Adding an extra word to the phrase will generate an entirely different set of addresses. This can be useful if you want to create a set of ‘secret’ wallets – even if someone gets your 12/24 word phrase, if they don’t know the extra word, they won’t see those addresses.
MEW web offers the extra word option when using a recovery phrase, but MEW wallet app does not. This means that recovery phrases generated directly on MEW’s website will let you add an extra word at the end, but you won’t be able to access those wallets in MEW wallet app or another interface where an extra word is not supported.
Security tips for using recovery phrases:
Troubleshooting issues with phrases:
Tags:
mewwalletios, mewwalletandroid, whatis, recovery, phrase
Memorizing your 12-24 word recovery seed phrase is a valid method to secure your wallet backup. It’s great way to have your recovery phrase with you at all times and can come in handy when traveling. It can even be a backup to your physical backup (or vice versa).
But did you know memorizing is actually the easy part. Creating an effective tool to help you memorize is hard.
Mnemonic Link System: Chain Story Method
There is a reason why stories can be passed down generations without being written down. Because stories are memorable. It’s the imagery and visualization (sight, sound, taste, smell, feeling) that makes it worth remembering.
The goal is to create a sequential story, linking and associating one seed word to the next one. But not just any story, a bizarre story. A story that makes the seed words the emphasized aspect. Your brain remembers the uncommon, the oddities, the weird, because that’s interesting. Normal is not.
Creating the story also helps you remember the words (like making a cheat sheet for an exam realizing you don’t need to look at it anymore)
When creating your story, ensure NO other words from the BIP39 wordlist are in your story other than the four designated words. The BIP39 wordlist is a mix of commonly used nouns, verbs, and adjectives. This fact alone makes it the most difficult part. This prevents confusion in the future if you can’t remember which part of the story is your recovery seed phrase.
(Also remember do not write your story with your recovery seed phrase words on a device connected to the internet…it is your seed after all)
An example is the best way to describe this.
The Recovery Seed Phrase:
silk envelope sail cherry satisfy term sleep violin output erode please volume mixed guitar cupboard describe inmate address left harsh speed vendor erase candy
Let’s Divide It Into Chunks.
Why chunks? Instead of remembering the number 301,540,658 it’s easier to remember 301, then 540, and finally, 658. The same goes for your seed phrase.
Chunking not only makes it easier to memorize but it also makes it feel less daunting and makes creating the stories more manageable.
Let’s start with the first four words: silk envelope sail cherry
In my SILK pillowcase, there is an ENVELOPE.
Let’s discuss.
My first statement is linking SILK with ENVELOPE.
I could have easily said, «In a SILK ENVELOPE», but I did not.
You want to make each seed word its own idea.
This prevents:
- the belief that only one of those words is a seed word and
- mixing up the order of SILK and ENVELOPE (could be envelope made of silk)
I used «pillowcase» because
- it is not in the BIP39 wordlist and
- when visualizing this scene, you first see the SILK pillowcase before looking inside to see the ENVELOPE. It’s clear that SILK is before ENVELOPE.
Let’s go on with the other 3rd and 4th word:
In the ENVELOPE is a request for me to set SAIL.
I’m setting SAIL to meet the queen who is a CHERRY
The goal is to link the end of the idea to the beginning of the next. Your thought process would go something like this:
- «What’s in the ENVELOPE? Oh! it is for me to set SAIL»
- «Why am I setting SAIL? Oh! so I can meet that CHERRY queen»
Once you remember one word, you have a «link» to trigger remembering the next word. The purpose of the linking is not just to remember the words but the sequential order of the words because in a BIP39 seed phrase, order matters.
Stop here.
Memorize this four word story chunk. Visualize it. Write it down. Draw it. Do this until you feel confident you’ve memorized it. Do this until you can repeat the story after doing something else (watching a television show, going out to a restaurant, working out, etc.)
If you feel that you can’t remember some of the words (or you’re not satisfied with the story): make it more interesting, add more details, rewrite it. There is no shame in changing your story because you’re the author and the audience is you. It is a story for yourself.
Once you feel confident, repeat this process for the next four words (and the next four words and so on) until you’ve created a story with all 24 words.
Here the rest of my story:
I meet the CHERRY queen to SATISFY her.
But to completely SATISFY her, I have to meet her TERMs.
Her TERMs are to watch her SLEEP
While I watch her SLEEP, I hear a soothing VIOLIN
The VIOLIN is coming from the television audio OUTPUT
The television audio OUTPUT is from show about rocks that ERODE
The queen wakes up to the show about how rocks ERODE and does not look PLEASEd
She yells, «PLEASE mute the VOLUME!»
I mute the VOLUME on the remote but the buttons are MIXED
I MIXED up buttons and instead hear a GUITAR
The GUITAR coming from in the CUPBOARD
The queen yells, «what’s in the CUPBOARD, DESCRIBE it!»
I DESCRIBE it but she thinks I’m lying, so she sends me to be an INMATE
An INMATE in a building without an ADDRESS
I get to the building without an ADDRESS and hear Beyonce say «to the LEFT!»
I look to your LEFT and Beyonce is the warden who looks HARSH.
Her discipline will be even HARSHer, so I take the drug, SPEED
I got the SPEED from the VENDOR
The VENDOR who’s sells ERASErs
He sells ERASErs and CANDY
Test Yourself:
The purpose of the tool is make a task easier. This situation is no different. But you have to learn how to use the tool. It’s time to practice.
This is where repetition comes in. Draw the entire story. Act it out. Write it down. Do it again.
There’s no rush. You’ve got time to do this. If you feel there’s a certain section you’re having trouble with, chunk it out! Focus on that one section. (Rewrite it even!)
Execution is all in the preparation. Eventually you’ll know your recovery seed phrase like your first phone number.
Good Luck!
Takeaways
- Approach your memory story by splitting your recovery seed phrase into managable chunks
- Ensure there are NO other words from the BIP39 wordlist.
- Make your story bizarre enough to remember
- Do NOT write your story on a device connected to the internet
- Make each word a separate idea
- Draw your story. Then throw it away and repeat
- Change/adjust the part of your story you’re having trouble with as many times as you need
This is the complete list of English BIP-39 words used for seed recovery. If you use a wallet for your crypto, you most likely have 12 or 24 of these words written somewhere. Hopefully, they aren’t stored digitally. If you examine the words closely, you will notice that no word has the same first four letters. If you know the first four letters of your seed phrase words, you can easily figure out the full word. Some wallets only require that you enter the first four letters. Each word when alphabetical also corresponds with a number.
Abandon is 0001.
Ability is 0002.
Able is 0003 etc. etc.
The best way to store you seed recover phrase is with a Billfodl which you can purchase by clicking on the picture below.
If you would prefer to store numbers instead of letters, you can save the 4 numbers that correspond with each word from 0001 to 2048. In case you ever need to see what your number stands for or what your four letters are really representing, here is a complete list for your access. If you need help, you should never send your words or numbers to a 3rd party. You would be best to figure it out yourself or work with a trusted friend. We are also happy to help if you ever run into a problem.
Monero uses a 25 word seed phrase, but it can be converted back and forth to a 24 word phrase. This allows you to use a hardware wallet like a ledger with Monero.
Complete List of BIP-39 Seed Recovery Phrase Words for wallets like Trust Wallet.
abandon ability able about above absent absorb abstract absurd abuse access accident account accuse achieve acid acoustic acquire across act action actor actress actual adapt add addict address adjust admit adult advance advice aerobic affair afford afraid again age agent agree ahead aim air airport aisle alarm album alcohol alert alien all alley allow almost alone alpha already also alter always amateur amazing among amount amused analyst anchor ancient anger angle angry animal ankle announce annual another answer antenna antique anxiety any apart apology appear apple approve april arch arctic area arena argue arm armed armor army around arrange arrest arrive arrow art artefact artist artwork ask aspect assault asset assist assume asthma athlete atom attack attend attitude attract auction audit august aunt author auto autumn average avocado avoid awake aware away awesome awful awkward axis baby bachelor bacon badge bag balance balcony ball bamboo banana banner bar barely bargain 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There is one very good use of this list. If you have lost your recovery key, and you think you might have it on your computer or in an email somewhere, you can search your computer for these words. If you are able to find any of them, it is worth exploring the document and seeing if you might have used it to write down the other 11. These are the words that we suggest you backup with one of our seed cassette devices. This 12 word phrase or sometimes 24/25 is worth the entire value of your wallet. With a seed phrase, you can setup a new wallet and move millions of dollars in less than a minute.
Back to Bitcoin Safety Blog
Your 24-word seed phrase is CRITICALLY IMPORTANT and so is its safety.
We cannot stress enough the importance to keep your recovery seed phrase and your private keys safe and secure, outside of the physical and even more importantly digital reach of ANYONE not you.
No one should know your seed except you. If you ever lose or break your ledger, or forget your PIN, the ONLY way to recover access to your assets will be by re-entering this 24-word seed in another hardware wallet device. Entering it into a software wallet is unsafe and should only be used as a last resort (just don’t).
The 24-word seed is your master private key to access all your crypto account derived from it (i.e. secured by your ledger device).
The value of your seed is the total value of all your crypto assets controlled by it. There is no single asset more valuable than your recovery seed phrase.
Your seed phrase gives full access to your funds to anyone in its possession, and does not require access to your device, your PIN code or your passwords in order to use or abuse.
If you lose your seed, and one day your ledger device breaks or malfunctions (that can happen with any electronic device), you would lose forever access to all your cryptos.
To be extra safe, you should have 2 physical copies of your seed in two different locations, in case your house burns down along with your seed and ledger, then you would not lose access to your crypto assets.
- How to store your seed phrase properly
- Steel product for storing your seed phrase on a fire, water and damage resistant medium (link to buy)
If your seed gets compromised it means you haven’t secured it properly and someone (or malware, most likely) got access to it.
Common causes of leaked seed words and private keys
Do not do the following with your seed words:
- Do not use a seed phrase that came pre-printed (if) on a card with your Ledger or other crypto wallet of choice (the common pre-seeded package scam, where a scammer inserts a pre-printed seed phrase directly into your then re-sealed box, hoping that an unsuspecting non-savvy customer would not realize the scam and use that seed-phrase, that scammer has a copy of, to set up his new Ledger device). Return such package immediately!
- Do not use your old software wallet’s seed phrase in your new Ledger device as migrating a potentially compromised seed phrase over to a hardware wallet will not keep you safe. Never use a seed phrase that you ever used anywhere else other than on another hardware wallet. Only use a seed phrase that you created directly on your hardware wallet from scratch and transfer the funds from your old software wallet(s) over, leaving the old unsecure wallet(s) behind.
- Do not take a photo of your seed words with your phone (which happens to be the most common sources of leakage, as malware or hacker gains access to your photos, either on your phone or as they get uploaded to the cloud)
- Do not type or in any other way enter your seed words on your computer or phone. For instance, to send an email to yourself for safekeeping, thinking it would be safe and easily accessible there (second most common source of leakage)
- Do not enter your seed phrase in “Ledger Live” or any other app or wallet, even if it claims you need to do so in order to recover from “damaged Ledger memory” or to “unlock your wallet”. Those are known phishing scams! The legit Ledger Live will never ask you for your seed phrase and if it happens, rest assured it is not Ledger requesting you to do so. Only ever type your seed words straight into your Ledger hardware wallet and nowhere else!
- Do not enter or store your words in a computer, phone’s notebook, digital notepad or any app, website, cloud or other digital device / service, other than your hardware wallet, as they can all get compromised.
- Do not have your words in sight of any webcam, laptop cam, phone cam, home security cam or any other camera whatsoever.
- Do not print or photocopy your seed words using a computer printer, a wireless printer or a commercial copy machine as they can all be compromised.
- Do not digitalize your seed words in any matter, even if just to encrypt them with a computer, thinking they would be safe that way.
- Do not send your seed phrase to any “support” representative. NO legit support person will ever ask for your seed phrase!
- Do not respond to any unsolicited messages online (Reddit, Facebook, Youtube etc) offering you crypto related “support” even if they seem legit representatives of companies or services you are in business with. They probably are not who they say they are. And definitely do not follow any links to “initialize your wallet” etc, which is a known scam. While this alone will not put your seed phrase in danger, assuming you followed all the other rules above, you do not want them to potentially compromise your system, which can lead to a plethora of other problems, nor do you want to be on their list of “receptive” targets in the future.
As a rule, never expose your seed words and your private keys to anything digital, other than your hardware wallet, and keep them safe outside the reach of others, including your otherwise trustworthy family members that might not be aware of the necessary security precautions we have just outlined here.
We all make mistakes though, so in case you ever did take a photo of your 24 word seed or at some point in the past, entered it in a phone or computer or anything digital, you should consider that your seed could be compromised, and move all your crypto assets to a new hardware wallet generated seed ASAP.
- Has my crypto wallet been compromised?
Other than that, use common sense and if something looks or feels fishy, investigate and research further. Never click first and ask questions later. And never give your seed phrase to anyone from any “official support”. If they ask for your seed, they are NOT. And if they contact you through private channels first (unsolicited DMs or emails), you are best off just ignoring them as any sort of reply, even a negative one, will mark your contact as active.
Also, make sure your family and heirs / next of kin could have access to your seed, in case something happens to you (e.g. you die). Without it, they will never be able to get access to your crypto assets should you be incapacitated or gone.
- Learn more about keeping your Ledger hardware wallet safe.