What is a seed phrase?

A seed phrase is an ordered list of words that helps regenerate wallet keys in a compatible recovery setup. It is also called a recovery phrase. Unlike a public address, the list must remain secret.

What information do the words represent?

BIP39 encodes random data as words; those words and any passphrase become inputs to key generation. Common formats use 12 or 24 words, but other lengths and standards exist. Not every list is compatible with every wallet.

For example, several accounts derived from one backup can be recreated in a compatible setup. A separate key imported later need not be covered by that backup. Real recovery words should never be shared as an example.

How it differs from a device PIN

A PIN locks access to a particular device or app; a seed phrase helps recover keys. Changing the PIN does not invalidate the old words. If an additional passphrase was used, the words alone may not reach the intended wallet.

Losing the backup does not immediately erase a working wallet. But if both access and the required recovery information are lost, a conventional password reset cannot restore a seed-based account.

Example

Imagine your phone breaks, but the recovery phrase you saved during wallet setup is intact. A wallet supporting the same backup format and account derivation path can restore access to those accounts. The onchain assets are not moved out of the broken phone. An account imported later using a separate private key may require its own backup and may not return from that phrase.

The seed phrase storage guide covers recording and protecting a backup according to the wallet’s recovery method.