Recovery phrase (seed phrase)
Plain definition. A recovery phrase, or seed phrase, is an ordered list of 12 to 24 words that lets a crypto wallet user regain access to their funds.
Technical definition. CoinMarketCap’s glossary defines a seed phrase as a single starting point when deriving keys for a deterministic wallet: 12, 18 or 24 words taken from the 2,048-word BIP39 Wordlist. The word sequence can be converted to a matching series of numbers that gives access to the wallet and its public-private key pair. Anyone who knows the phrase can potentially move the funds to another wallet address.
On this site
On this site, Recovery phrase (seed phrase) comes up in How do I keep my XRP wallet, keys and recovery phrase safe?, What happened with the D’CENT wallet hack, and am I affected?, Can a hardware wallet be hacked, and how do I verify one is genuine?, How do I find or recover old XRP (a paper wallet or a forgotten service)? and Should I spread my XRP across several exchanges and wallets?.
Source
Seed Phrase Definition | CoinMarketCap Learn Topics CMC Updates Language Glossary Authors English Bahasa Indonesia Deuts (coinmarketcap.com), read October 1, 2026.
Pages that cover Recovery phrase (seed phrase)
- Can a hardware wallet be hacked, and how do I verify one is genuine?
- How do I find or recover old XRP (a paper wallet or a forgotten service)?
- Can I lose my XRP without anyone hacking me?
- What happens to my XRP when I die?
- Should I spread my XRP across several exchanges and wallets?
- How do I keep my XRP wallet, keys and recovery phrase safe?
- What happened with the D'CENT wallet hack, and am I affected?