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Glossary

Private key

The secret that authorises spending from an address. Anyone who has it controls the funds, permanently and without recourse. It is never needed by support, an exchange or a wallet maker.

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See also

Seed phraseTwelve or twenty-four ordinary words that regenerate every private key in a wallet. It is the wallet, not a password for it: whoever types those words into any compatible wallet has the funds. Self-custodyHolding your own keys, so no company can freeze, lend or lose your funds — and no company can restore them if you lose the seed phrase. AddressThe string you send funds to. It is derived from a public key and is safe to share; the format differs by network, which is why an address that works on one chain is refused on another.

Last checked 19 Oct 2026.