Bitcoin glossary
Seed phrase
The 12–24 words that back up every key in your wallet.
A seed phrase (recovery phrase) is a list of 12 or 24 common words encoding the master secret from which a wallet derives all its keys and addresses. Anyone with the words can restore — and spend — the whole wallet on any compatible software, which is what makes it both a perfect backup and a perfect target.
Write it on paper or steel, never photograph or type it, and never enter it on a website. Every “support agent” asking for your seed phrase is a thief, without exception.