Pssword1! satisfies plenty of old complexity rules. Attackers know that too: replacing a with @, capitalizing the first letter, and appending a digit are among the first guesses in a password-cracking wordlist.
Short answer: password strength comes mainly from unpredictability and length, not from cosmetic substitutions. Use a password manager to generate a unique random password for every site, or use a long random-word passphrase where a manager is unavailable.
| Choice | Why it fails or works |
|---|---|
Pssword1! | Predictable transformation of a common word |
Summer2026! | Season/year patterns are guessed early |
| Reused long password | One breach unlocks multiple accounts |
| Manager-generated unique password | High entropy and no reuse |
Multi-factor authentication limits damage from a stolen password, but it does not make password reuse safe. A phishing-resistant method is better than a code someone can relay.
For application builders, rate-limit guessing, block known-breached passwords, use a modern password hash such as Argon2id, and never reveal whether an account exists during a failed login. Users should not have to invent entropy from punctuation habits.
Cover photo by Jakub Zerdzicki on Pexels.