How to Generate Strong Passwords That Are Secure

Most people think adding a ! at the end of their pet's name makes a strong password. It does not. Modern password cracking tools test billions of combinations per second, and dictionary-based attacks with common substitutions are the first thing they try.

What Makes a Password Strong?

Password strength comes down to entropy — the measure of randomness. The key factors:

• Length — Each additional character multiplies possible combinations exponentially
• Character variety — Uppercase, lowercase, digits, and symbols increase the set from 26 to 95+
• Randomness — Truly random characters are far stronger than human-chosen patterns
• Uniqueness — Every account needs a different password

The takeaway: length matters more than complexity.

How to Generate Strong Passwords

Random Character Generation

Our Password Generator creates cryptographically random passwords with configurable length, character types, and exclusions. All generation happens in your browser using the Web Crypto API.

Passphrase Method

Four or more random, unrelated words: correct-horse-battery-staple. Easier to remember while providing excellent entropy.

Password Mistakes That Put You at Risk

• Reusing passwords — One breach compromises all accounts
• Using personal information — Birthdays, pet names are easily guessed
• Common substitutions — P@ssw0rd! is nearly as weak as Password
• Too short — Under 12 characters is increasingly vulnerable

Best Practices

• Use a password manager for unique passwords per account
• Enable two-factor authentication everywhere
• Generate rather than create — use our Password Generator
• For developers storing passwords, use bcrypt or Argon2, never MD5. Explore algorithms with our Hash Generator

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should my password be?

At least 16 characters for important accounts, 12 minimum for everything else.

Are passphrases better than random passwords?

For memorability, yes. For raw entropy per character, random passwords win. Both provide excellent security at sufficient length.

Related Resources

• Password Entropy Explained — the math behind password strength
• Hash Algorithms Compared — how passwords are stored
• Password Generator — generate cryptographically strong passwords
• Hash Generator — explore hashing algorithms