How to Create a Strong Password

Published: June 2026

Weak passwords are behind the majority of hacked accounts. The good news is that a strong password isn't complicated — it just needs to be long, random, and unique. This guide explains what actually makes a password secure, the mistakes to avoid, and how to generate one in seconds.

What makes a password strong

Three things matter, in order of importance:

• Length. This is the single biggest factor. Every extra character multiplies the number of guesses an attacker needs. Aim for at least 16 characters.
• Randomness. A password should not be a word, a name, a date, or a predictable pattern. Truly random characters are exponentially harder to crack.
• Uniqueness. Use a different password for every account. If one site is breached, attackers try the same password everywhere else.

How length beats complexity

A short password with symbols (like P@ss1!) is weaker than a long simple one. Here's roughly how long different passwords take to crack by brute force:

Password	Length	Time to crack
Tiger12	7	Instant
P@ssw0rd!	9	Hours
16 random characters	16	Billions of years

Length wins. A 16-character random password is effectively impossible to brute-force with current technology.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Personal info — names, birthdays, pet names, and addresses are easy to guess or find online
• Common substitutions — swapping "a" for "@" or "o" for "0" doesn't fool modern cracking tools
• Reusing passwords — one breach exposes every account using that password
• Keyboard patterns — "qwerty", "123456", and "asdfgh" are in every attacker's dictionary
• Short passwords with symbols — length matters far more than special characters

How to generate a strong password

1. Open the password generator. Go to the password generator.
2. Set the length. Choose at least 16 characters. Longer is always better.
3. Include character types. Enable uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols for maximum strength.
4. Generate and copy. The tool uses your browser's cryptographically secure random number generator — the same standard used in encryption. Copy it straight into your password manager.

How to remember your passwords

You shouldn't try to memorise 16-character random strings for dozens of accounts. Instead:

• Use a password manager — it stores all your passwords securely and fills them in automatically. You only remember one master password.
• Make the master password a passphrase — four or five random words strung together (like "copper-violin-meadow-tractor") are long, strong, and memorable.
• Enable two-factor authentication — even if a password leaks, 2FA stops attackers from getting in.