BIP39 word list: complete list of 2,048 words

The BIP39 word list contains 2,048 English words used to create mnemonic phrases in wallets that support the BIP39 standard. If you need to check the spelling of a word, find its number, or transfer a seed phrase to a metal backup, the complete list is available directly on this page.

We have also kept the PDF version below. Never enter your full seed phrase into a website just to “check” it. If you only need to verify one word, search for that word in the list instead.

A more durable way to store your seed phrase

A paper backup can be damaged by water, fire, or simple physical wear. For long-term storage, you can move your seed phrase to a metal backup designed to survive harsher storage conditions.

You can find more options in our metal seed backup category.

BIP39 word list: all 2,048 words with numbers

Below is the complete English BIP39 word list from the official Bitcoin BIPs repository. To find a word quickly, use your browser’s page search: Ctrl+F on Windows/Linux or ⌘+F on macOS.

On this page, the words are numbered from 1 to 2,048, matching our PDF. In the BIP39 standard itself, the list uses indexes from 0 to 2,047: abandon has index 0 and zoo has index 2047.

Source: the official bitcoin/bips: bip-0039/english.txt file.

How the BIP39 word list works

The English BIP39 list contains exactly 2,048 words. Each word corresponds to an index from 0 to 2,047, which means each word represents 11 bits of data. The list is sorted alphabetically.

Another important property is that the first four letters are enough to uniquely identify every word in the English BIP39 list. This is why many metal seed backups only require the first four letters of each word.

A valid seed phrase is not just any sequence of words from the list. BIP39 starts with random entropy, appends a checksum, and then converts the resulting data into words. Part of the final word encodes checksum bits, so changing a word or changing the order will usually make the phrase invalid.

If your wallet shows Recovery phrase is invalid, do not paste the phrase into an online checker. Use our separate guide instead: Recovery phrase is invalid: why your wallet won’t accept your seed phrase.

What not to do with the BIP39 word list

• Do not enter your full seed phrase into websites or online “checkers.” If you only need to verify a spelling, search for that one word in the list.
• Do not build your own seed phrase from words you like. A phrase made entirely from valid BIP39 words can still be predictable or fail the checksum.
• Do not change the word order. The position of each word is part of the encoded data.
• Do not use this page as a brute-force recovery tool. If part of a seed phrase is missing, random guessing without understanding the original format can introduce additional risk.

Where and how to store a seed phrase

A seed phrase should be kept offline and stored so that one accident cannot destroy both your wallet and its backup. Do not photograph it, store it in the cloud, or send it through messaging apps.

We cover paper backups, metal backups, and other storage options in How to Store a Seed Phrase: 5 Safe Methods in 2026. You can also browse all of our metal seed backup products.

What a seed phrase is and how BIP39 fits in

BIP39 defines a way to turn random entropy into a mnemonic sequence of words and then derive a cryptographic seed from that mnemonic. The standard supports phrases of 12, 15, 18, 21, or 24 words. Not every crypto wallet uses BIP39, so before restoring a wallet, you need to know which backup format the original wallet used.

If you want a broader explanation of what a seed phrase is, how wallet recovery works, and what happens if the phrase is lost, see our separate guide: What is a seed phrase and what happens if you lose it? This page is intentionally focused on the BIP39 word list so it does not duplicate the full seed phrase guide.

In short

• The English BIP39 word list contains 2,048 words.
• The standard assigns indexes from 0 to 2,047.
• The first four letters uniquely identify a word in the English list.
• A sequence of BIP39 words is not automatically a valid seed phrase: order, entropy, and the checksum all matter.
• You never need to enter your full seed phrase on a third-party website just to check the spelling of one word.