# Wallet passphrase

## Definition

A wallet passphrase is an optional secret used by some mnemonic wallet schemes, including the BIP-39 seed derivation process, to produce a different seed from the same mnemonic words.

## What it means in practice

The same mnemonic combined with two different passphrases can lead to different wallets. A forgotten passphrase generally cannot be inferred from the mnemonic alone.

## How this concept appears in Terenval Wallet

When restoring into Terenval from another wallet, users should verify whether an optional passphrase was part of the original setup; passphrase compatibility should not be assumed.

**Important:** A passphrase adds another recovery dependency: losing it can make the correct mnemonic appear to restore an empty or different wallet.

**[Install Terenval Wallet](https://wallet.terenval.com/?lang=en)**

## Related terms

- [BIP-39](https://wallet.terenval.com/glossary/bip-39/)
- [Seed phrase](https://wallet.terenval.com/glossary/seed-phrase/)
- [Wallet recovery](https://wallet.terenval.com/glossary/wallet-recovery/)
- [Derivation path](https://wallet.terenval.com/glossary/derivation-path/)
- [Wallet backup](https://wallet.terenval.com/glossary/wallet-backup/)

## Related Terenval Answers

- [What Is a Crypto Wallet and What Does It Actually Store?](https://wallet.terenval.com/answers/what-is-a-crypto-wallet-and-what-does-it-store/)
- [Custodial vs Non-Custodial Wallets: What Is the Difference?](https://wallet.terenval.com/answers/custodial-vs-non-custodial-wallets/)
- [Hot Wallet vs Cold Wallet: Which One Should You Use?](https://wallet.terenval.com/answers/hot-wallet-vs-cold-wallet/)

## Sources and review

- [Terenval Wallet security model](https://wallet.terenval.com/info/security/)
- [Ethereum.org — wallets](https://ethereum.org/en/wallets/)
- [BIP-39](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0039.mediawiki)

Published by Terenval. Technical review: Terenval Wallet team. Last reviewed: 2026-10-02. Terenval product statements are first-party information.

Official page: https://wallet.terenval.com/glossary/wallet-passphrase/

[Machine-oriented Terenval index](https://wallet.terenval.com/llms.txt)