Passwords. Passwords. Passwords. Every day we are required to input passwords. Let’s be honest, passwords are a pain. We all know that good ones protect us from hackers, but it’s a real challenge to create and remember strong passwords for all our online accounts. Creating a secure password is more crucial than ever because our lives are often spent in the digital universe: social media, banking, email, shopping, and more.

So, how do you create strong passwords that you can recall without writing them down? Here are three password strategies that will produce virtually un-crackable security for your accounts. Keep in mind that most websites will have their own requirements for the inclusion of upper-and-lower case letters, symbols, numbers, spaces, and so on.

1. Put nonsense words together
Using the password Ilovecats would be a poor choice since it is a grammatically correct phrase, but IrishChickenBaseball would make a strong password since it makes no sense in context. And the unusualness of the phrase might make it easier for you to remember. Sort of like when you were in elementary school and used Never Eat Soggy Waffles to help you remember the directions of North, East, South, and West. Now throw in some random numbers and symbols. The final password could be 0317IrishChickenBaseball$ or something like that.
 

2. Make a passphrase acronym
Take a sentence that’s easy to remember and meaningful to you. Use the first letter of each word (using numbers, symbols, punctuation, etc… wherever possible) to create an ultra-secure password.

Here are some examples:

  • My very first dog was born in Fertile and cost $500 back in 1998! —  MvfDwbiFac$500bi1998! 
     
  • I love to get 2 cheeseburgers at my favorite restaurant when I visit my best friend in Wisconsin! —  I<3tg2c@mfrwivmbfiW!
     
  • Driving my car less than 55 miles per hour on the highway during rush hour traffic makes me sad —  
Dmc<55MPHothdrhtmm:(

3. Create a formula

If you’ve got a mathematical mind then basing a password on a formula or other logical statement could perhaps be an option. It's not for everyone, but passwords of this form can be very strong as they're often fairly long and use mathematical symbols which are rarely seen in passwords.

Here are some examples:

  • 2Weeks+2Weeks=28Days 

  • Seven+Eight=Fifteen-Zero

  • TheTruckHad4Tires+Aspare

Remember these methods suggested above are only examples; each of them can be used in slightly different ways to create completely different results. Go with what you think would be the easiest for you to remember, and build your password around that. Be sure to use different passwords for each website you go to. Happy creating!