Unit 2 · Level 1 · Wallets & keys
The seed phrase
When you create a wallet, it shows you 12 or 24 ordinary words: the seed phrase. Those words mathematically derive every private key and address your wallet will ever use. Anyone who has the words has the funds. No password, no ID check, no undo. That's why the words must never exist in digital form: no photos, no cloud notes, and never, ever typed into a website.
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What you get asked
What exactly are those 12 or 24 words?
The seed phrase generates ALL your keys: restore it on any device and your whole wallet reappears. No company holds a copy; that's the point.
"Support" messages you: "Verify your wallet by entering your seed phrase." What is this?
This is the single most common crypto scam. Typing your words anywhere hands over every coin, and no legitimate service will ever ask.
Put the safe seed-phrase backup routine in order
Hand, paper, safe place. The words should never touch a camera, a keyboard, or the cloud.
Your seed phrase should exist only on ___, never on anything connected to the internet.
Offline media only: paper works, and stamped metal is even better. Anything online can be copied by malware in a heartbeat.
Why do some holders stamp their seed phrase into metal plates?
A €30 metal backup shrugs off a house fire; a paper one is ash. Same words in a tougher home: still offline, still secret. 🐜
The rest of this unit
Keys, seed phrases, and custody: how to truly own your coins.