This preset draws three words at random from EFF's list of 7,776 words, capitalizes each, joins them with hyphens and adds two random digits, for example Custard-Flatware-Promotion-37. That gives 3 × log2(7776) + log2(100) ≈ 45.4 bits. It is a good fit for accounts with login limits; for anything that could be attacked offline, raise it to five or six words.
The rule, exactly
Every password from this preset is built the same way:
- Pick a word uniformly at random from the EFF Large Wordlist (7,776 words, 3 to 9 characters each).
- Repeat until there are three words, or as many as you set, from 3 to 6.
- Capitalize the first letter of each word.
- Join the words with hyphens.
- Add a hyphen and two random digits, from 00 to 99.
The capitals and hyphens are fixed parts of the format, so they add no entropy. The words add log2(7776) ≈ 12.92 bits each and the two digits add log2(100) ≈ 6.64 bits. Three words therefore give 45.4 bits, and every extra word adds another 12.9.
Why three words
The "three random words" idea is the UK National Cyber Security Centre's headline password advice. The NCSC argues that three random words are long enough and strong enough for most accounts while being far easier to remember than a jumble of characters, and that swapping letters for numbers mostly makes a password harder to remember without making it much harder to crack. Its own example joins three words without separators.
This preset adds a little structure on top: capitals, hyphens and two digits. Those additions exist for one practical reason. Many sites still demand an uppercase letter, a number and a special character. A password built this way contains all of them, since the hyphen counts as a special character on common lists such as those used by Windows, Microsoft Entra ID and AWS IAM. You get a password you can remember that the form will not reject.
Make a memorable password
- Leave the word count at 3, or raise it to 4, 5 or 6 for more strength.
- Press Generate and read the result aloud once to see if it sticks.
- Press Generate again if the words do not form a picture you can remember; do not edit them by hand.
- Picture the three words in a scene, in order, and say the two digits as a number.
- Save it in your password manager anyway, so a forgotten word never locks you out.
How strong is 45 bits?
It depends on the attack, more than for any other preset on this site. The table shows the average time to find a password of each size. The online column is the chance of success for an attacker allowed 100 guesses, the most NIST permits before a service must disable the password. The other columns assume a stolen hash. For a slow, salted bcrypt hash at cost 10, a single RTX 4090 manages several thousand guesses a second, rounded up to 10⁴; for a fast, unsalted SHA-256 hash the same card is taken at 10¹⁰.
| Words | Bits | Online, 100 guesses | bcrypt, 10⁴ per second | SHA-256, 10¹⁰ per second |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 45.4 | about 2 in a trillion | 74 years | 39 minutes |
| 4 | 58.3 | about 3 in 10¹⁶ | 579 thousand years | 212 days |
| 5 | 71.3 | about 4 in 10²⁰ | 5 billion years | 4,505 years |
| 6 | 84.2 | about 5 in 10²⁴ | 3.5 × 10¹³ years | 35 million years |
Read it honestly: three words are effectively unguessable through a login page and hold up for decades against a slow hash, but a service that leaks an unsalted fast hash exposes a three-word password within the hour. Since you cannot see how a site stores passwords, use three words where a second factor or strong login limits also apply, and four or more where they do not.
Length in characters
Words average 7 characters, so a three-word password is 14 to 32 characters long, typically 26. It is 14 only if all three words are among the list's 82 three-letter entries, which happens about once in 850,000 tries. In practice, then, it clears the 15-character minimum NIST sets for single-factor passwords, though its entropy is far lower than 15 random characters would be. Length rules measure characters; strength comes from how they were chosen.
Where a memorable password fits
- A computer or tablet sign-in you type several times a day, where the device limits attempts.
- Streaming, shopping and forum accounts you sometimes enter on a TV or a friend's phone.
- Shared family or household accounts that people need to read out to each other.
- Any account where you would otherwise write a password on a sticky note.
Where to use something stronger
- Your password manager's master password, disk encryption and Wi-Fi. These can be attacked offline. Use six or more words on the passphrase generator, or the Wi-Fi preset for your network.
- Accounts filled in automatically. If a password manager types it, a random 16-character password costs you nothing and is far stronger.
- Email and recovery accounts. Use at least four words, and turn on two-step verification.
Generated on your device
Words are drawn from a copy of the EFF list bundled with the page, inside your browser. The result is never transmitted or stored; once you close the tab, the only copy is wherever you saved it.
How the words are picked
Each word and the two digits come from crypto.getRandomValues. Values that would make some words slightly more likely than others are rejected and redrawn, which is why the 45.4-bit figure is exact rather than an estimate. This preset does not apply an extra "one of each type" rule; the format already contains every type. The word list is credited on the licenses page, and the methodology page covers how to verify that nothing is uploaded.
FAQ
Why only three words by default?
Three is the point where most people can still remember a password after a day or two, and it matches widely known public advice. The word count goes up to six whenever you want more strength.
Do the capital letters and hyphens make it stronger?
No. They are applied the same way every time, so an attacker who knows the format gains nothing from guessing them. They are there to satisfy sites that require uppercase letters and symbols.
Why put the digits at the end?
A fixed position keeps the password easy to remember and type. The digits add 6.6 bits whether they come first or last, as long as they are random.
Can I change the words to ones I like better?
Regenerate instead. Words you pick yourself are more predictable than words drawn at random, and attackers model those preferences.
Is this the same as a passphrase?
It is a short passphrase with extra formatting. The passphrase generator defaults to six words and lets you change the separator and capitals; this preset aims for the shortest thing that passes typical site rules.
What if a site rejects hyphens?
It is rare, but if it happens, use the passphrase generator with no separator and the capitals and digit options on.
Sources
- NCSC: Three random words
- EFF's long wordlist announcement
- Windows: password complexity categories
- AWS IAM password policy options
- NIST SP 800-63B-4, rate limiting
Checked 2026-10-11.
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