The best password is one stored in a password manager — but there are situations where you genuinely need to memorize a password: your manager's master password, your computer login, your work VPN. Here's how to make those passwords both strong and memorable.
The Diceware method
Diceware is the gold standard for memorable strong passwords. Roll a physical die five times to get a five-digit number, look it up in the EFF's Diceware wordlist, and repeat for four to six words. The result is something like clam-fable-anvil-swift-piano — random, memorable, and genuinely strong.
Five words from the EFF list gives ~65 bits of entropy. Six words gives ~78 bits. Both are strong enough for any purpose.
💡 Why physical dice? Dice rolls are truly random. Human-selected "random" words aren't — we gravitate toward familiar words and patterns. Our passphrase generator uses a cryptographically secure random source and achieves the same result digitally.
The memory palace technique
Once you have your random passphrase, create a vivid mental image connecting the words. clam-fable-anvil-swift-piano: imagine a giant clam reading a fable, getting hit by a falling anvil, which swiftly lands on a piano. The stranger and more vivid the image, the easier it is to remember.
What not to do
- Don't use a meaningful phrase or song lyric — those are dictionary-attackable
- Don't use words that relate to each other (they become predictable)
- Don't use fewer than four words — the entropy drops significantly
- Don't substitute letters with numbers/symbols in a passphrase — it adds almost nothing and makes it harder to type
For passwords you must type regularly
If you need to type a passphrase frequently, practice it 10–15 times right after creating it. Muscle memory forms quickly. Within a few days of daily use, it becomes automatic — like typing your name.
✅ Right now: Use our passphrase generator to create a five-word passphrase. Write it down temporarily (store it safely), practice typing it a dozen times, then destroy the paper once it's memorised. You now have a strong memorable password.