<p>Key pairs created from a passphrase is part of BIP39 and BIP32, which is completely unrelated to BIP38.</p>
<p>The word &quot;Passphrase&quot; for bip38 encryption can be misleading terminology because most people think of the 12-word mnemonic when they hear &quot;passphrase&quot; which is associated with bip32 HD wallets.</p>
<p>The encryption password you enter into bitaddress simply encrypts your one single private key so that it can not be used unless you decrypt it by typing in the password.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Since it can make multiple paper wallets from one pass phrase</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The passphrase is not used in that way. Bitaddress can/will generate multiple paper wallets for you but the keys are not derived from the passphrase. If you elect to encrypt your private keys with a bip38 encryption password each key will be encrypted with that password. It is not creating any keys from the passphrase.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-02-21T22:26:19.707Z
2022-02-21T22:26:19.707Z
m1xolyd1an
<p><a href="https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0038.mediawiki" rel="nofollow noreferrer">BIP038</a> is a encryption standard for Bitcoin Wallets, your passphrase is for deriving keys for that encryption. The private key generation works by other means, and is strongly <strong>not recommended</strong> to generate your keys in sites like bitaddress. Download some wallet like Green or Blue, and just write down your 12-word mnemonic.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-02-20T23:42:35.407Z
So if I lose a paper wallet but have the pass phrase, can I recover?
Mastiff
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-02-21T22:15:59.467Z
No you can not recover. There is no key derivation with bip38.
m1xolyd1an
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-02-20T23:13:50.960Z
2022-02-20T23:13:50.960Z
Davidson Souza
<p>If I go to bitaddress.org and create a paper wallet with BIP38 and a pass phrase, what it doing with that pass phrase specifically? Since it can make multiple paper wallets from one pass phrase, the phrase must not uniquely identify the public and private keys.  But if it does not, what use is the phrase?</p>

<private-key><public-key><passphrase>
Does a pass phrase uniquely identify public and private keys?
Mastiff
# Does a pass phrase uniquely identify public and private keys?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-02-20)

If I go to bitaddress.org and create a paper wallet with BIP38 and a pass phrase, what it doing with that pass phrase specifically? Since it can make multiple paper wallets from one pass phrase, the phrase must not uniquely identify the public and private keys. But if it does not, what use is the phrase?

**Tags:** private-key, public-key, passphrase


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2022-02-21. Score: 0 | Accepted answer

Key pairs created from a passphrase is part of BIP39 and BIP32, which is completely unrelated to BIP38.

The word "Passphrase" for bip38 encryption can be misleading terminology because most people think of the 12-word mnemonic when they hear "passphrase" which is associated with bip32 HD wallets.

The encryption password you enter into bitaddress simply encrypts your one single private key so that it can not be used unless you decrypt it by typing in the password.

> Since it can make multiple paper wallets from one pass phrase

The passphrase is not used in that way. Bitaddress can/will generate multiple paper wallets for you but the keys are not derived from the passphrase. If you elect to encrypt your private keys with a bip38 encryption password each key will be encrypted with that password. It is not creating any keys from the passphrase.


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### Answer by username_2 on 2022-02-20. Score: 1

[BIP038](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0038.mediawiki) is a encryption standard for Bitcoin Wallets, your passphrase is for deriving keys for that encryption. The private key generation works by other means, and is strongly **not recommended** to generate your keys in sites like bitaddress. Download some wallet like Green or Blue, and just write down your 12-word mnemonic.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: So if I lose a paper wallet but have the pass phrase, can I recover?  
> **username_1**: No you can not recover. There is no key derivation with bip38.  

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