14 Character Password Ideas and Examples

This article explores 14 character password ideas and examples, providing you with ample inspiration to create robust, memorable passwords that safeguard your online activities. A strong password is especially necessary if your goal is to create a seriously strong password for a password manager such as NordPass or 1Password.

Understanding the Building Blocks of 14 Character Passwords

Before jumping into 14 character password examples, it’s import to cover the typical characters that contribute to a secure password. Most English-language keyboards offer a repertoire of 94 characters, divided as follows:

• 26 lowercase letters (a-z)
• 26 uppercase letters (A-Z)
• 10 digits (0-9)
• Approximately 32 special characters (e.g., !, @, #, $, %, etc.)

Given these elements, a 14 character password can leverage this diversity to enhance its security. Each additional character in a password exponentially increases the complexity and the number of possible combinations, making it significantly more challenging for hackers to crack.

The Mathematics Behind Password Strength

To appreciate the fortitude of a 14 character password, consider the mathematics behind it. With approximately 100 random characters available on a standard English keyboard, a 14 character password can theoretically possess around 100^14 combinations. This figure equates to a staggering 10,000 trillion trillion possibilities, rendering it computationally infeasible for attackers to break via brute force methods. It is clear that each random character added to a password makes it 100x harder to hack, this means, that doubling the length of a password from 6 to 12, doesn’t make it twice as hard to hack it makes it (100 x 100 x 100 x 100 x 100 x 100) times harder to crack, or 1 trillion times harder. This makes the difference between 1 second and 32, 000 years to crack your password. Companies do enforce 12-14 character password minimums for a reason.

Yet, people are not adept at remembering arbitrary sequences of characters, which demonstrates the need for creative strategies in password creation.

Incorporating Randomness and Memorability in Password Design

Historically, the belief prevailed that the more complex a password appears, the more secure it becomes. However, what’s difficult for a computer might be inadvertently straightforward for a human, and vice versa. For example, replacing the letter “a” with the at symbol ”@”, which hackers can easily subtitute. Instead of relying solely on randomized characters, integrating meaningful yet random components can bolster both memorability and security.

Consider real-world names—geographical place names, surnames, and more. A conservative estimate suggests at least 1 million names exist, which translates to 100^3 when expressing randomness (100 x 100 x 100 = 1 million). For instance, a single randomly picked name like “Millerdale” (picked randomly from a map) can effectively substitute three random characters like ”£$h”. By this logic, 5 random words can be just as effective as a completely random 14 character password. Of course, the more unique the word the better, for example, if you’re travelled to an exotic location, or know some words in a foreign language.

14 Character Password Ideas

For example, take the following random names (also picked randomly from a map): “Pine Ridge”, “Williams”, “Sunshine”, “Shermantown”. Merging these random yet meaningful names can form powerful passwords. Here we combine 3 place names to form a 14 character+ password that still beats the character requirements:

Millerdale!Pine_Sunshine3!

This password is just as secure as random strings such as ”£_h*u$h£43T3!a3”, yet they harness conceptual associations that make them more accessible to recall. You could also add a 4th word and remove the special characters, making the new password MillerdalePineSunshineSquare, however, many companies still require arguably legacy password complexity rules, which you’ve undoubtedly seen, which have arbitrary requirements such as one upper case letter, one lowercase, one number, one special character, etc. A modern approach would mean companies waive the password character complexity requirements for users who choose a sufficiently long password. Companies should also consider eliminating maximum password lengths, such as that used by payments provider Paypal, which at the time of writing limited to 20 characters.

Further 14 Character Password Ideas

Further 14 character password ideas include:

• Autobahn_cindarellakentucky4_
• Trevi3_mitigate_rucksack_
• Hamlet_Versailles_selfie1_

Definitely generate your own however, and never use one that we’ve provided directly, such passwords can form part of dictionary attacks.

Considering Password Managers/Password Vaults

This is all well and good for a single password, but how is it possible for the average user to remember 168 passwords, or 87 business passwords according to NordPass? The answer it seems, lies in a password manager. These password managers are based around the idea of a single, highly secure “master password” which unlocks a password vault of every password you need. Although not infaliable, it allows you to store hundreds of passwords under a single password. One might ask how this is any different from simply reusing the same password for every site. Passwords are designed to be unique for every site, otherwise a breach at one company, can allow hackers to try your username and password elsewhere in credential stuffing attacks. Password managers are especially useful for businesses, using a solution such as 1Password or NordPass’s business offerings for password management.

According to Security.org, individuals who utilized password managers were almost half as likely to fall victim to identity theft vs those who didn’t use one.

Practical Considerations and Constraints in Building Strong Passwords

While longer passwords generally offer enhanced security, and are in line with UK NCSC guidance, practical considerations do arise:

1. System Limitations: Certain platforms may have character limits, for instance, PayPal limits passwords to 20 characters. Other systems may truncate longer passwords without the user’s awareness. It’s not always possible to verify the password handling practices of websites you frequent. You can mitigate risk by including traditional random characters and elements within the first 10-20 characters of a password.

2. Heuristic Attacks: Passwords like “MrFluffyDog1!!” evade brute force methods but fall prey to heuristic techniques. Using unconventional combinations reduces this vulnerability.

Is a 14 character password secure?

14 character password ideas and examples underscore a fundamental reality: security balances both complexity and usability. By utilizing meaningful words, infusing digits, special characters, and unexpected capitalization, you achieve the crucial harmony of a password that is both resilient and memorable. As cyber threats evolve, the strategy of constructing secure passwords must adapt as well, emphasizing thoughtful creativity over mere complexity.

Let this guide serve as a stepping stone to forging your own strong password strategy, one that leverages obscure words that are memorable to you to create a password that’s almost impossible for others to guess.