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BIP39 Word List PDF: Printable and Numbered

The BIP39 English word list has exactly 2048 words. These PDFs put every word on paper with its number: a single sheet for A4 or US Letter, and an 8-page version in a larger font. The words come from the official english.txt in the bitcoin/bips repository and are checked against it byte for byte.

For spreadsheets and code: CSV (number, 0-based index, binary, hex, word) and TXT (one word per line, identical to the official file). To read the list on screen, search it by word or number on the BIP39 word list page.

The one-page printable BIP39 word list: 2048 numbered words in 16 columns
The A4 sheet, scaled down.

How to print it

  • Print at 100% (“Actual size”), not “Fit to page”, so the one-page sheet keeps its margins and every column.
  • The one-page sheet uses text about 5 points high: a laser printer or a 600 dpi setting keeps it sharp. If you want to read words at a glance, print the 8-page version instead.
  • Check the result: 16 columns of 128 words, ending with number 2048, zoo.

Number or index?

Printed lists, these PDFs included, count the words from 1 to 2048. BIP39 itself works with 11-bit values from 0 to 2047, so wallet code and some tools show the index, which is the printed number minus one: abandon is number 1 and index 0 (binary 00000000000), zoo is number 2048 and index 2047 (binary 11111111111). If a tool or a backup plate asks for an index, subtract one.

Check that it is the official list

Download the TXT file and compare its SHA-256 with the official english.txt; both are:

2f5eed53a4727b4bf8880d8f3f199efc90e58503646d9ff8eff3a2ed3b24dbda

On macOS or Linux, shasum -a 256 bip39-english.txt prints the hash. The English list has not changed since it was added to the repository on February 7, 2014, and it never will: changing a word would break every phrase that uses it.

Keep the printout apart from your phrase

The word list is public, so the PDF holds no secrets. That changes the moment you mark it: a printout with your words circled, ticked or numbered is your seed phrase, readable by anyone who finds it. Write the phrase on its own card or stamp it in metal, and keep the list for reference; our guide on how to store a seed phrase compares the options.

BIP39 Word List PDF — Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an official BIP39 word list PDF?

No. The official list is a plain text file, english.txt, in the bitcoin/bips repository on GitHub, and every PDF of it, these included, is a copy made for reading or printing. Our TXT download is byte-for-byte that file, so you can check it by comparing SHA-256 hashes.

Do the numbers start at 1 or at 0?

The PDFs number the words 1 to 2048, like most printed lists. Wallet software works with the 11-bit index, which runs from 0 to 2047, so the index is always the printed number minus one: abandon is number 1 and index 0, zoo is number 2048 and index 2047.

Can I print the word list in another language?

Yes. Each language page has its own PDF, CSV and TXT downloads. For a real wallet, though, use the English list: BIP39 itself notes that most wallets support only English and discourages the other lists.

Why do some backups keep only the first four letters?

Every word in the English list is identified by its first four letters (short words by all of their letters), so no two words share them. That is why many metal backup plates have room for just four letters per word.

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