BIP39 Wordlist

Blog » BIP39 Wordlist
Updated on Jun 7, 2025
Author: Robbert Bink
Printed BIP39 word list showing sample recovery seed words like abandon, ability, access, anxiety, and athlete on a wooden surface. Used for cryptocurrency wallet backups and recovery.

The official BIP-39 word list is a set of 2048 unique English words, standardized and published by the Bitcoin community. Wallets that follow BIP-39 use this list to generate and interpret mnemonic phrases — those 12 or 24-word backups used to recover your crypto.

The words are arranged in alphabetical order to make searching easier. You’ll notice there are no similar-sounding words — that’s intentional, to help prevent mistakes when entering your recovery seed.

This list can be especially helpful if you’re trying to reconstruct a missing or incomplete phrase — and we’ve also included below a few interesting details about how it works, in case you’re curious.

Here’s a printable PDF version of the list that you can easily download and keep handy.

A

  • 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

B

  • baby
  • bachelor
  • bacon
  • badge
  • bag
  • balance
  • balcony
  • ball
  • bamboo
  • banana
  • banner
  • bar
  • barely
  • bargain
  • barrel
  • base
  • basic
  • basket
  • battle
  • beach
  • bean
  • beauty
  • because
  • become
  • beef
  • before
  • begin
  • behave
  • behind
  • believe
  • below
  • belt
  • bench
  • benefit
  • best
  • betray
  • better
  • between
  • beyond
  • bicycle
  • bid
  • bike
  • bind
  • biology
  • bird
  • birth
  • bitter
  • black
  • blade
  • blame
  • blanket
  • blast
  • bleak
  • bless
  • blind
  • blood
  • blossom
  • blouse
  • blue
  • blur
  • blush
  • board
  • boat
  • body
  • boil
  • bomb
  • bone
  • bonus
  • book
  • boost
  • border
  • boring
  • borrow
  • boss
  • bottom
  • bounce
  • box
  • boy
  • bracket
  • brain
  • brand
  • brass
  • brave
  • bread
  • breeze
  • brick
  • bridge
  • brief
  • bright
  • bring
  • brisk
  • broccoli
  • broken
  • bronze
  • broom
  • brother
  • brown
  • brush
  • bubble
  • buddy
  • budget
  • buffalo
  • build
  • bulb
  • bulk
  • bullet
  • bundle
  • bunker
  • burden
  • burger
  • burst
  • bus
  • business
  • busy
  • butter
  • buyer
  • buzz

C

  • canal
  • cabbage
  • cabin
  • cable
  • cactus
  • cage
  • cake
  • call
  • calm
  • camera
  • camp
  • can
  • cancel
  • candy
  • cannon
  • canoe
  • canvas
  • canyon
  • capable
  • capital
  • captain
  • car
  • carbon
  • card
  • cargo
  • carpet
  • carry
  • cart
  • case
  • cash
  • casino
  • castle
  • casual
  • cat
  • catalog
  • catch
  • category
  • cattle
  • caught
  • cause
  • caution
  • cave
  • ceiling
  • celery
  • cement
  • census
  • century
  • cereal
  • certain
  • chair
  • chalk
  • champion
  • change
  • chaos
  • chapter
  • charge
  • chase
  • chat
  • cheap
  • check
  • cheese
  • chef
  • cherry
  • chest
  • chicken
  • chief
  • child
  • chimney
  • choice
  • choose
  • chronic
  • chuckle
  • chunk
  • churn
  • cigar
  • cinnamon
  • circle
  • citizen
  • city
  • civil
  • claim
  • clap
  • clarify
  • claw
  • clay
  • clean
  • clerk
  • clever
  • click
  • client
  • cliff
  • climb
  • clinic
  • clip
  • clock
  • clog
  • close
  • cloth
  • cloud
  • clown
  • club
  • clump
  • cluster
  • clutch
  • coach
  • coast
  • coconut
  • code
  • coffee
  • coil
  • coin
  • collect
  • color
  • column
  • combine
  • come
  • comfort
  • comic
  • common
  • company
  • concert
  • conduct
  • confirm
  • congress
  • connect
  • consider
  • control
  • convince
  • cook
  • cool
  • copper
  • copy
  • coral
  • core
  • corn
  • correct
  • cost
  • cotton
  • couch
  • country
  • couple
  • course
  • cousin
  • cover
  • coyote
  • crack
  • cradle
  • craft
  • cram
  • crane
  • crash
  • crater
  • crawl
  • crazy
  • cream
  • credit
  • creek
  • crew
  • cricket
  • crime
  • crisp
  • critic
  • crop
  • cross
  • crouch
  • crowd
  • crucial
  • cruel
  • cruise
  • crumble
  • crunch
  • crush
  • cry
  • crystal
  • cube
  • culture
  • cup
  • cupboard
  • curious
  • current
  • curtain
  • curve
  • cushion
  • custom
  • cute
  • cycle

D

  • dad
  • damage
  • damp
  • dance
  • danger
  • daring
  • dash
  • daughter
  • dawn
  • day
  • deal
  • debate
  • debris
  • decade
  • december
  • decide
  • decline
  • decorate
  • decrease
  • deer
  • defense
  • define
  • defy
  • degree
  • delay
  • deliver
  • demand
  • demise
  • denial
  • dentist
  • deny
  • depart
  • depend
  • deposit
  • depth
  • deputy
  • derive
  • describe
  • desert
  • design
  • desk
  • despair
  • destroy
  • detail
  • detect
  • develop
  • device
  • devote
  • diagram
  • dial
  • diamond
  • diary
  • dice
  • diesel
  • diet
  • differ
  • digital
  • dignity
  • dilemma
  • dinner
  • dinosaur
  • direct
  • dirt
  • disagree
  • discover
  • disease
  • dish
  • dismiss
  • disorder
  • display
  • distance
  • divert
  • divide
  • divorce
  • dizzy
  • doctor
  • document
  • dog
  • doll
  • dolphin
  • domain
  • donate
  • donkey
  • donor
  • door
  • dose
  • double
  • dove
  • draft
  • dragon
  • drama
  • drastic
  • draw
  • dream
  • dress
  • drift
  • drill
  • drink
  • drip
  • drive
  • drop
  • drum
  • dry
  • duck
  • dumb
  • dune
  • during
  • dust
  • dutch
  • duty
  • dwarf
  • dynamic

E

  • eager
  • eagle
  • early
  • earn
  • earth
  • easily
  • east
  • easy
  • echo
  • ecology
  • economy
  • edge
  • edit
  • educate
  • effort
  • egg
  • eight
  • either
  • elbow
  • elder
  • electric
  • elegant
  • element
  • elephant
  • elevator
  • elite
  • else
  • embark
  • embody
  • embrace
  • emerge
  • emotion
  • employ
  • empower
  • empty
  • enable
  • enact
  • end
  • endless
  • endorse
  • enemy
  • energy
  • enforce
  • engage
  • engine
  • enhance
  • enjoy
  • enlist
  • enough
  • enrich
  • enroll
  • ensure
  • enter
  • entire
  • entry
  • envelope
  • episode
  • equal
  • equip
  • era
  • erase
  • erode
  • erosion
  • error
  • erupt
  • escape
  • essay
  • essence
  • estate
  • eternal
  • ethics
  • evidence
  • evil
  • evoke
  • evolve
  • exact
  • example
  • excess
  • exchange
  • excite
  • exclude
  • excuse
  • execute
  • exercise
  • exhaust
  • exhibit
  • exile
  • exist
  • exit
  • exotic
  • expand
  • expect
  • expire
  • explain
  • expose
  • express
  • extend
  • extra
  • eye
  • eyebrow

F

  • fabric
  • face
  • faculty
  • fade
  • faint
  • faith
  • fall
  • false
  • fame
  • family
  • famous
  • fan
  • fancy
  • fantasy
  • farm
  • fashion
  • fat
  • fatal
  • father
  • fatigue
  • fault
  • favorite
  • feature
  • february
  • federal
  • fee
  • feed
  • feel
  • female
  • fence
  • festival
  • fetch
  • fever
  • few
  • fiber
  • fiction
  • field
  • figure
  • file
  • film
  • filter
  • final
  • find
  • fine
  • finger
  • finish
  • fire
  • firm
  • first
  • fiscal
  • fish
  • fit
  • fitness
  • fix
  • flag
  • flame
  • flash
  • flat
  • flavor
  • flee
  • flight
  • flip
  • float
  • flock
  • floor
  • flower
  • fluid
  • flush
  • fly
  • foam
  • focus
  • fog
  • foil
  • fold
  • follow
  • food
  • foot
  • force
  • forest
  • forget
  • fork
  • fortune
  • forum
  • forward
  • fossil
  • foster
  • found
  • fox
  • fragile
  • frame
  • frequent
  • fresh
  • friend
  • fringe
  • frog
  • front
  • frost
  • frown
  • frozen
  • fruit
  • fuel
  • fun
  • funny
  • furnace
  • fury
  • future

G

  • gadget
  • gain
  • galaxy
  • gallery
  • game
  • gap
  • garage
  • garbage
  • garden
  • garlic
  • garment
  • gas
  • gasp
  • gate
  • gather
  • gauge
  • gaze
  • general
  • genius
  • genre
  • gentle
  • genuine
  • gesture
  • ghost
  • giant
  • gift
  • giggle
  • ginger
  • giraffe
  • girl
  • give
  • glad
  • glance
  • glare
  • glass
  • glide
  • glimpse
  • globe
  • gloom
  • glory
  • glove
  • glow
  • glue
  • goat
  • goddess
  • gold
  • good
  • goose
  • gorilla
  • gospel
  • gossip
  • govern
  • gown
  • grab
  • grace
  • grain
  • grant
  • grape
  • grass
  • gravity
  • great
  • green
  • grid
  • grief
  • grit
  • grocery
  • group
  • grow
  • grunt
  • guard
  • guess
  • guide
  • guilt
  • guitar
  • gun
  • gym

H

  • habit
  • hair
  • half
  • hammer
  • hamster
  • hand
  • happy
  • harbor
  • hard
  • harsh
  • harvest
  • hat
  • have
  • hawk
  • hazard
  • head
  • health
  • heart
  • heavy
  • hedgehog
  • height
  • hello
  • helmet
  • help
  • hen
  • hero
  • hidden
  • high
  • hill
  • hint
  • hip
  • hire
  • history
  • hobby
  • hockey
  • hold
  • hole
  • holiday
  • hollow
  • home
  • honey
  • hood
  • hope
  • horn
  • horror
  • horse
  • hospital
  • host
  • hotel
  • hour
  • hover
  • hub
  • huge
  • human
  • humble
  • humor
  • hundred
  • hungry
  • hunt
  • hurdle
  • hurry
  • hurt
  • husband
  • hybrid

I

  • ice
  • icon
  • idea
  • identify
  • idle
  • ignore
  • ill
  • illegal
  • illness
  • image
  • imitate
  • immense
  • immune
  • impact
  • impose
  • improve
  • impulse
  • inch
  • include
  • income
  • increase
  • index
  • indicate
  • indoor
  • industry
  • infant
  • inflict
  • inform
  • inhale
  • inherit
  • initial
  • inject
  • injury
  • inmate
  • inner
  • innocent
  • input
  • inquiry
  • insane
  • insect
  • inside
  • inspire
  • install
  • intact
  • interest
  • into
  • invest
  • invite
  • involve
  • iron
  • island
  • isolate
  • issue
  • item
  • ivory

J

  • jacket
  • jaguar
  • jar
  • jazz
  • jealous
  • jeans
  • jelly
  • jewel
  • job
  • join
  • joke
  • journey
  • joy
  • judge
  • juice
  • jump
  • jungle
  • junior
  • junk
  • just

K

  • kangaroo
  • keen
  • keep
  • ketchup
  • key
  • kick
  • kid
  • kidney
  • kind
  • kingdom
  • kiss
  • kit
  • kitchen
  • kite
  • kitten
  • kiwi
  • knee
  • knife
  • knock
  • know

L

  • lab
  • label
  • labor
  • ladder
  • lady
  • lake
  • lamp
  • language
  • laptop
  • large
  • later
  • latin
  • laugh
  • laundry
  • lava
  • law
  • lawn
  • lawsuit
  • layer
  • lazy
  • leader
  • leaf
  • learn
  • leave
  • lecture
  • left
  • leg
  • legal
  • legend
  • leisure
  • lemon
  • lend
  • length
  • lens
  • leopard
  • lesson
  • letter
  • level
  • liar
  • liberty
  • library
  • license
  • life
  • lift
  • light
  • like
  • limb
  • limit
  • link
  • lion
  • liquid
  • list
  • little
  • live
  • lizard
  • load
  • loan
  • lobster
  • local
  • lock
  • logic
  • lonely
  • long
  • loop
  • lottery
  • loud
  • lounge
  • love
  • loyal
  • lucky
  • luggage
  • lumber
  • lunar
  • lunch
  • luxury
  • lyrics

M

  • machine
  • mad
  • magic
  • magnet
  • maid
  • mail
  • main
  • major
  • make
  • mammal
  • man
  • manage
  • mandate
  • mango
  • mansion
  • manual
  • maple
  • marble
  • march
  • margin
  • marine
  • market
  • marriage
  • mask
  • mass
  • master
  • match
  • material
  • math
  • matrix
  • matter
  • maximum
  • maze
  • meadow
  • mean
  • measure
  • meat
  • mechanic
  • medal
  • media
  • melody
  • melt
  • member
  • memory
  • mention
  • menu
  • mercy
  • merge
  • merit
  • merry
  • mesh
  • message
  • metal
  • method
  • middle
  • midnight
  • milk
  • million
  • mimic
  • mind
  • minimum
  • minor
  • minute
  • miracle
  • mirror
  • misery
  • miss
  • mistake
  • mix
  • mixed
  • mixture
  • mobile
  • model
  • modify
  • mom
  • moment
  • monitor
  • monkey
  • monster
  • month
  • moon
  • moral
  • more
  • morning
  • mosquito
  • mother
  • motion
  • motor
  • mountain
  • mouse
  • move
  • movie
  • much
  • muffin
  • mule
  • multiply
  • muscle
  • museum
  • mushroom
  • music
  • must
  • mutual
  • myself
  • mystery
  • myth

N

  • naive
  • name
  • napkin
  • narrow
  • nasty
  • nation
  • nature
  • near
  • neck
  • need
  • negative
  • neglect
  • neither
  • nephew
  • nerve
  • nest
  • net
  • network
  • neutral
  • never
  • news
  • next
  • nice
  • night
  • noble
  • noise
  • nominee
  • noodle
  • normal
  • north
  • nose
  • notable
  • note
  • nothing
  • notice
  • novel
  • now
  • nuclear
  • number
  • nurse
  • nut

O

  • oak
  • obey
  • object
  • oblige
  • obscure
  • observe
  • obtain
  • obvious
  • occur
  • ocean
  • october
  • odor
  • off
  • offer
  • office
  • often
  • oil
  • okay
  • old
  • olive
  • olympic
  • omit
  • once
  • one
  • onion
  • online
  • only
  • open
  • opera
  • opinion
  • oppose
  • option
  • orange
  • orbit
  • orchard
  • order
  • ordinary
  • organ
  • orient
  • original
  • orphan
  • ostrich
  • other
  • outdoor
  • outer
  • output
  • outside
  • oval
  • oven
  • over
  • own
  • owner
  • oxygen
  • oyster
  • ozone

P

  • pact
  • paddle
  • page
  • pair
  • palace
  • palm
  • panda
  • panel
  • panic
  • panther
  • paper
  • parade
  • parent
  • park
  • parrot
  • party
  • pass
  • patch
  • path
  • patient
  • patrol
  • pattern
  • pause
  • pave
  • payment
  • peace
  • peanut
  • pear
  • peasant
  • pelican
  • pen
  • penalty
  • pencil
  • people
  • pepper
  • perfect
  • permit
  • person
  • pet
  • phone
  • photo
  • phrase
  • physical
  • piano
  • picnic
  • picture
  • piece
  • pig
  • pigeon
  • pill
  • pilot
  • pink
  • pioneer
  • pipe
  • pistol
  • pitch
  • pizza
  • place
  • planet
  • plastic
  • plate
  • play
  • please
  • pledge
  • pluck
  • plug
  • plunge
  • poem
  • poet
  • point
  • polar
  • pole
  • police
  • pond
  • pony
  • pool
  • popular
  • portion
  • position
  • possible
  • post
  • potato
  • pottery
  • poverty
  • powder
  • power
  • practice
  • praise
  • predict
  • prefer
  • prepare
  • present
  • pretty
  • prevent
  • price
  • pride
  • primary
  • print
  • priority
  • prison
  • private
  • prize
  • problem
  • process
  • produce
  • profit
  • program
  • project
  • promote
  • proof
  • property
  • prosper
  • protect
  • proud
  • provide
  • public
  • pudding
  • pull
  • pulp
  • pulse
  • pumpkin
  • punch
  • pupil
  • puppy
  • purchase
  • purity
  • purpose
  • purse
  • push
  • put
  • puzzle
  • pyramid

Q

  • quality
  • quantum
  • quarter
  • question
  • quick
  • quit
  • quiz
  • quote

R

  • rabbit
  • raccoon
  • race
  • rack
  • radar
  • radio
  • rail
  • rain
  • raise
  • rally
  • ramp
  • ranch
  • random
  • range
  • rapid
  • rare
  • rate
  • rather
  • raven
  • raw
  • razor
  • ready
  • real
  • reason
  • rebel
  • rebuild
  • recall
  • receive
  • recipe
  • record
  • recycle
  • reduce
  • reflect
  • reform
  • refuse
  • region
  • regret
  • regular
  • reject
  • relax
  • release
  • relief
  • rely
  • remain
  • remember
  • remind
  • remove
  • render
  • renew
  • rent
  • reopen
  • repair
  • repeat
  • replace
  • report
  • require
  • rescue
  • resemble
  • resist
  • resource
  • response
  • result
  • retire
  • retreat
  • return
  • reunion
  • reveal
  • review
  • reward
  • rhythm
  • rib
  • ribbon
  • rice
  • rich
  • ride
  • ridge
  • rifle
  • right
  • rigid
  • ring
  • riot
  • ripple
  • risk
  • ritual
  • rival
  • river
  • road
  • roast
  • robot
  • robust
  • rocket
  • romance
  • roof
  • rookie
  • room
  • rose
  • rotate
  • rough
  • round
  • route
  • royal
  • rubber
  • rude
  • rug
  • rule
  • run
  • runway
  • rural

S

  • sad
  • saddle
  • sadness
  • safe
  • sail
  • salad
  • salmon
  • salon
  • salt
  • salute
  • same
  • sample
  • sand
  • satisfy
  • satoshi
  • sauce
  • sausage
  • save
  • say
  • scale
  • scan
  • scare
  • scatter
  • scene
  • scheme
  • school
  • science
  • scissors
  • scorpion
  • scout
  • scrap
  • screen
  • script
  • scrub
  • sea
  • search
  • season
  • seat
  • second
  • secret
  • section
  • security
  • seed
  • seek
  • segment
  • select
  • sell
  • seminar
  • senior
  • sense
  • sentence
  • series
  • service
  • session
  • settle
  • setup
  • seven
  • shadow
  • shaft
  • shallow
  • share
  • shed
  • shell
  • sheriff
  • shield
  • shift
  • shine
  • ship
  • shiver
  • shock
  • shoe
  • shoot
  • shop
  • short
  • shoulder
  • shove
  • shrimp
  • shrug
  • shuffle
  • shy
  • sibling
  • sick
  • side
  • siege
  • sight
  • sign
  • silent
  • silk
  • silly
  • silver
  • similar
  • simple
  • since
  • sing
  • siren
  • sister
  • situate
  • six
  • size
  • skate
  • sketch
  • ski
  • skill
  • skin
  • skirt
  • skull
  • slab
  • slam
  • sleep
  • slender
  • slice
  • slide
  • slight
  • slim
  • slogan
  • slot
  • slow
  • slush
  • small
  • smart
  • smile
  • smoke
  • smooth
  • snack
  • snake
  • snap
  • sniff
  • snow
  • soap
  • soccer
  • social
  • sock
  • soda
  • soft
  • solar
  • soldier
  • solid
  • solution
  • solve
  • someone
  • song
  • soon
  • sorry
  • sort
  • soul
  • sound
  • soup
  • source
  • south
  • space
  • spare
  • spatial
  • spawn
  • speak
  • special
  • speed
  • spell
  • spend
  • sphere
  • spice
  • spider
  • spike
  • spin
  • spirit
  • split
  • spoil
  • sponsor
  • spoon
  • sport
  • spot
  • spray
  • spread
  • spring
  • spy
  • square
  • squeeze
  • squirrel
  • stable
  • stadium
  • staff
  • stage
  • stairs
  • stamp
  • stand
  • start
  • state
  • stay
  • steak
  • steel
  • stem
  • step
  • stereo
  • stick
  • still
  • sting
  • stock
  • stomach
  • stone
  • stool
  • story
  • stove
  • strategy
  • street
  • strike
  • strong
  • struggle
  • student
  • stuff
  • stumble
  • style
  • subject
  • submit
  • subway
  • success
  • such
  • sudden
  • suffer
  • sugar
  • suggest
  • suit
  • summer
  • sun
  • sunny
  • sunset
  • super
  • supply
  • supreme
  • sure
  • surface
  • surge
  • surprise
  • surround
  • survey
  • suspect
  • sustain
  • swallow
  • swamp
  • swap
  • swarm
  • swear
  • sweet
  • swift
  • swim
  • swing
  • switch
  • sword
  • symbol
  • symptom
  • syrup
  • system

T

  • table
  • tackle
  • tag
  • tail
  • talent
  • talk
  • tank
  • tape
  • target
  • task
  • taste
  • tattoo
  • taxi
  • teach
  • team
  • tell
  • ten
  • tenant
  • tennis
  • tent
  • term
  • test
  • text
  • thank
  • that
  • theme
  • then
  • theory
  • there
  • they
  • thing
  • this
  • thought
  • three
  • thrive
  • throw
  • thumb
  • thunder
  • ticket
  • tide
  • tiger
  • tilt
  • timber
  • time
  • tiny
  • tip
  • tired
  • tissue
  • title
  • toast
  • tobacco
  • today
  • toddler
  • toe
  • together
  • toilet
  • token
  • tomato
  • tomorrow
  • tone
  • tongue
  • tonight
  • tool
  • tooth
  • top
  • topic
  • topple
  • torch
  • tornado
  • tortoise
  • toss
  • total
  • tourist
  • toward
  • tower
  • town
  • toy
  • track
  • trade
  • traffic
  • tragic
  • train
  • transfer
  • trap
  • trash
  • travel
  • tray
  • treat
  • tree
  • trend
  • trial
  • tribe
  • trick
  • trigger
  • trim
  • trip
  • trophy
  • trouble
  • truck
  • true
  • truly
  • trumpet
  • trust
  • truth
  • try
  • tube
  • tuition
  • tumble
  • tuna
  • tunnel
  • turkey
  • turn
  • turtle
  • twelve
  • twenty
  • twice
  • twin
  • twist
  • two
  • type
  • typical

U

  • ugly
  • umbrella
  • unable
  • unaware
  • uncle
  • uncover
  • under
  • undo
  • unfair
  • unfold
  • unhappy
  • uniform
  • unique
  • unit
  • universe
  • unknown
  • unlock
  • until
  • unusual
  • unveil
  • update
  • upgrade
  • uphold
  • upon
  • upper
  • upset
  • urban
  • urge
  • usage
  • use
  • used
  • useful
  • useless
  • usual
  • utility

V

  • vacant
  • vacuum
  • vague
  • valid
  • valley
  • valve
  • van
  • vanish
  • vapor
  • various
  • vast
  • vault
  • vehicle
  • velvet
  • vendor
  • venture
  • venue
  • verb
  • verify
  • version
  • very
  • vessel
  • veteran
  • viable
  • vibrant
  • vicious
  • victory
  • video
  • view
  • village
  • vintage
  • violin
  • virtual
  • virus
  • visa
  • visit
  • visual
  • vital
  • vivid
  • vocal
  • voice
  • void
  • volcano
  • volume
  • vote
  • voyage

W

  • wage
  • wagon
  • wait
  • walk
  • wall
  • walnut
  • want
  • warfare
  • warm
  • warrior
  • wash
  • wasp
  • waste
  • water
  • wave
  • way
  • wealth
  • weapon
  • wear
  • weasel
  • weather
  • web
  • wedding
  • weekend
  • weird
  • welcome
  • west
  • wet
  • whale
  • what
  • wheat
  • wheel
  • when
  • where
  • whip
  • whisper
  • wide
  • width
  • wife
  • wild
  • will
  • win
  • window
  • wine
  • wing
  • wink
  • winner
  • winter
  • wire
  • wisdom
  • wise
  • wish
  • witness
  • wolf
  • woman
  • wonder
  • wood
  • wool
  • word
  • work
  • world
  • worry
  • worth
  • wrap
  • wreck
  • wrestle
  • wrist
  • write
  • wrong

X

Y

  • yard
  • year
  • yellow
  • you
  • young
  • youth

  • zebra
  • zero
  • zone
  • zoo

BIP39 WordList Selection Criteria

The list is designed to be both safe and easy to use. The creators picked words that are long enough and clearly different from each other, so it’s harder to make mistakes.

They also avoided words that sound alike, which makes each word unique. Fun fact: there are no two words in the list start with the same first four letters. For example, “abandon” is the only word that begins with “aban” — there’s no “abandonment” or “abandoner” to mix it up with.

This means while enering recovery phrase it’s enough to type only 4 first characters of the word to identify it.

This helps avoid confusion, because even one wrong word can lock you out of your funds.

The Science Behind BIP39 Mnemonic Phrases

Mnemonic phrases are more than just random words from the BIP39 wordlist. They’re created using smart math to make sure they’re both secure and unique.

It all starts with a random number, called entropy. This number is then broken into parts, and each part is used to choose a word from the BIP39 list. The result is a phrase that looks simple, but actually represents a complex string of numbers.

This system turns hard-to-remember data into words that are easier for people to write down and use. The more entropy used, the stronger the phrase, because that means there are more possible combinations, making it harder for anyone to guess.

Here is more information on how long to recover your phrase.

The Length of Recovery Phrases

The most common recovery phrases are either 12 or 24 words long. The longer the phrase, the harder it is to crack, which means better security for your wallet. But it also means there’s a higher risk of forgetting it, so storing it safely is very important.

The key difference between 12 and 24-word phrases is the amount of entropy, or randomness.

  • A 12-word phrase has 128 bits of entropy
  • A 24-word phrase has 256 bits of entropy

More entropy means more possible combinations, which makes it much harder for anyone to guess your recovery phrase.

Checksum Verification

The last word of every BIP39 recovery phrase includes something called a checksum — a built-in way to check that the phrase is valid. When you type your seed phrase into a wallet, the software uses this checksum to catch any mistakes. That’s why it’s so important to enter the exact number of words, keep them in the correct order, and avoid any typos. Even one small error can make the phrase invalid. Read our article if you want to know how to find missing recovery words.

Tools and Resources for Working with the List

There are many tools for easier management of recovery phrases. These tools include online generators and offline software. They meet various user needs and security levels.

Here are a few online tools for creating and changing BIP39 seed phrases.:

  • Online BIP39 Generators: Websites that make BIP39 seed phrases right in your browser, using JavaScript.
  • Mnemonic Code Converters: Tools that switch between different mnemonic standards or formats.
  • Wallet Integration Tools: Some online tools offer APIs and libraries for adding BIP39 to cryptocurrency wallets.

Language Variations in the BIP39 Word List

The official BIP39 standard supports many languages, making it easier for people all over the world to use cryptocurrency wallets. This helps cryptocurrencies grow by reaching more people.

Here are the languages:

  • English
  • Spanish
  • French
  • Italian
  • Chinese (Simplified and Traditional)
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Other languages supported by various implementations

You can easily choose a word list in your native language. First, make sure your wallet software or hardware supports the language. Also, be mindful of character encoding and fonts, which can be a problem for languages with non-ASCII characters.

Alternatives and Extensions

While BIP39 is the most commonly used method for creating recovery phrases, it’s not the only one. There are other standards and tools that offer different features or improvements.

Interestingly, some wallets, like Electrum, don’t use BIP39 at all. They use their own system for recovery phrases, which won’t work with other wallets.

Another polular lists BIP32 and BIP44 work with BIP39 to help wallets organize and manage many accounts or addresses from a single phrase. 

Can not recover your walle? Contact Crypto Recovers to find the missing pieces.

BIP39 Wordlist FAQ

What is the BIP39 word list used for?

The BIP39 word list is used to create human-readable mnemonic phrases that represent binary entropy for generating cryptocurrency wallet seeds. These phrases allow users to back up and restore hierarchical deterministic (HD) wallets. Each word encodes part of the original entropy securely and predictably.

What is the BIP39 wordlist?

The BIP39 wordlist is a standardized list of 2048 words used to generate human-readable mnemonic phrases for deterministic cryptocurrency wallets. These phrases represent the binary entropy used to derive a seed, which in turn generates private keys. BIP39 was introduced to simplify wallet backups and recovery.

How many words are in the BIP39 list?

There are exactly 2048 unique words in each official BIP39 wordlist. This size ensures each word represents 11 bits of entropy, making the mnemonic phrase both secure and uniformly decodable.

How does BIP39 work?

BIP39 converts a random binary entropy value into a mnemonic phrase using a wordlist. This phrase is then hashed with a passphrase (optional) to derive a seed via PBKDF2. The seed is used to generate a hierarchical deterministic (HD) wallet according to BIP32.

Are there any alternatives to the BIP39 wordlist?

Alternatives to BIP39 include SLIP-0039 (Shamir’s Secret Sharing for mnemonics) and Electrum’s proprietary seed format. These offer different security or recovery properties. However, BIP39 remains the most widely adopted standard across wallets. Crypto Recovers can assist with both standard and non-standard formats.

What tools are available for working with BIP39?

Popular BIP39 tools include Ian Coleman’s BIP39 Mnemonic Tool, hardware wallets like Trezor and Ledger, and libraries like bip39 in JavaScript and Python. Crypto Recovers also provides expert support for BIP39 recovery and troubleshooting.

Can I use a non-English BIP39 word list?

Yes, BIP39 lists are in many languages. But, using a non-English list might cause compatibility issues.
Robbert

Robbert Bink

Founder & CEO

Robbert Bink is the founder and CEO of Crypto Recovers, the leading crypto recovery service in the Netherlands. With over 15 years of programming experience, he has been helping individuals and businesses recover lost or locked crypto wallets since 2019.

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