Strong Password Examples (and Why Common “Strong” Passwords Fail)
Most people believe their password is strong because it has a capital letter, a number and a symbol. Password-cracking tools disagree. Below are examples of weak, deceptively “strong”, and truly strong passwords, and what separates them.
Important: never use any example from this page (or any other website) as your real password. Published examples end up in cracking dictionaries. Generate your own with the random password generator.
Weak passwords: cracked instantly
| Example | Why it fails |
|---|---|
123456, password, qwerty |
Top of every leaked-password list; tried first by every attacker. |
rahul1998 |
Name plus birth year. Attackers combine common names with every year automatically. |
india@123 |
A dictionary word plus the most common symbol-and-number suffix. |
iloveyou |
A common phrase. Phrases people choose are as predictable as single words. |
“Looks strong” passwords that are not
| Example | Why it fails |
|---|---|
P@ssw0rd! |
Meets every complexity rule, yet letter-for-symbol swaps (a→@, o→0) are built into cracking tools. Cracked in seconds. |
Summer2026! |
Season + year + “!” is one of the most common patterns in corporate breaches. |
Qwerty!2345 |
A keyboard walk. Patterns on the keyboard are tested as early as dictionary words. |
Mumbai#Indians7 |
Long, but built from a well-known team name. Attackers use lists of teams, films and celebrities. |
You can test the difference yourself: type a similar pattern into the password strength checker and watch the crack-time estimate collapse.
Genuinely strong passwords
| Type | Example shape | Strength |
|---|---|---|
| Random, 16 characters | vR7#qL2m!Xa9&tPe |
≈ 100 bits: effectively uncrackable |
| Random passphrase, 6 words | gravy-tusk-nimble-fiber-oasis-plank |
≈ 78 bits: very strong and memorable |
| Random letters and numbers, 20 characters | k8Tm2qZr9Lw4eHx7Pd3B |
≈ 119 bits: strong even without symbols |
What these have in common: they were chosen by a random generator, not a person, and they are long. That is the whole secret. Complexity rules matter far less than randomness and length.
Three rules that make any password strong
- Random: generated by a tool such as the password generator or passphrase generator, never invented.
- Long: at least 16 characters, or 5–6 random words.
- Unique: used on one site only, so a breach elsewhere can’t unlock it. A password manager makes this effortless.
What if a site won’t accept symbols?
Use the password generator without special characters and add length instead. A random 16-character letters-and-numbers password is stronger than a 12-character one with symbols.
Check before you trust it
Finally, make sure the password hasn’t already leaked: the password breach checker compares it against hundreds of millions of breached passwords without ever sending it anywhere.