Roanoke-Chowan Community College

Institutional Technology & Computer Services

Definition of Passphrase

1. A PassPhrase serves the same function as a password.
2. It is generally longer than a password and may include words, letters, numbers and special characters.
3. PassPhrases are easier to remember because they are based on phrases that mean something to you. 

Example: Consider the following phrase: "Only 3 more weeks until vacation time!" *Take the first letter of each word:  "O3mwuvt!" and you have an 8-digit PassPhrase that's easy to remember.  The phrase contains mixed case, a number, and a "special" character, which meets the minimum requirements for PassPhrase strength.