Are passwords, words?

How original are your passwords? Discover the top 10 and find out!

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Passwords hold the keys to our digital lives, protecting our personal information and securing our online accounts. However, the proliferation of instances where we are repeatedly asked to choose a password leads to a natural tendency to simplify them. It’s easy to understand—if we have to remember 50 passwords, we’ll try to come up with ones that are easy to recall. This leads to the use of weak and predictable passwords that are easy to guess or crack. Scroll down to see if you use any of these common passwords. If so, do yourself a favor and change them!

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Probably the most common and overused password in the world is a name—whether it’s your own, a loved one’s, or even a pet’s. Perhaps you type your name followed by your birth year or the current year.

In any case, this type of password is among the most insecure, as anyone trying to access your personal information likely knows your name—and, if they’ve done their homework, the names of those around you. And yes, that includes your pets, past and present. Even if used on a personal computer at home, it’s best to replace it.

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There was a time—before smartphones—when everyone remembered at least a few telephone numbers. Chiefly, your own, but also those of your parents, grandparents, friends, and so on. Perhaps you even remember a couple to this day—do you?

This once-useful information has now become meaningless, yet millions of people still use their old phone numbers—and even addresses—as passwords for email accounts, online banking, and all sorts of password-protected services.

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This is one of the laziest passwords on the list. Believe it or not, a huge number of people use an entire row of numbers or letters on their keyboards as a password. In fact, according to several specialized websites that track this sort of thing, "123456" is the most common password globally.

And, as it happens, this is also one of the easiest passwords to crack—not just for hackers, but, actually, for anyone.

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Believe it or not, some people still think using the word "password" as their password is clever—as if no one had ever thought of that. Not only is this one of the most commonly used passwords, but it’s also incredibly easy to guess.

Another overused password is "whatever." This adolescent expression of indifference is often chosen when someone doesn’t feel like coming up with a new password.

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One of the most irritating instances of creating a new password is the moment when the code word you created is rejected for lacking special characters or uppercase letters.

When this happens, most people simply capitalize the first letter and add an exclamation mark (!) at the end, as it’s the first special character on the keyboard. However, using a different uppercase letter and a unique special character instantly makes your password much more secure.

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If you were wondering what the laziest password of all is, "Abc123" is it. What’s even more astonishing is that it’s not rare but a hugely popular choice for millions of people worldwide.

Sure, many of us think, Who would bother trying to hack me?—as if we weren’t a typical target for a hacker. But you’d be surprised. And not in a good way.

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Perhaps you’re struggling to come up with a password and glance at the brand on your keyboard or smartphone, thinking no one will guess it. Think again. Using "Samsung," "Genius," "Motorola," or any other major tech brand—whose logos are as ubiquitous as the air we breathe—is an extremely common choice for countless people.

Hackers know this and test these brand names early in their password-cracking attempts. So don’t be lazy—come up with something better than "Intel-Inside" for your password.

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This one is especially common in workplaces where the IT department uses the same name and password for every computer—for practical purposes. And we get it—no one wants to create hundreds of unique passwords for every employee. But it should be done anyway, because "Admin" and "Admin123" are among the most widely used usernames and passwords in offices everywhere.

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Don’t be ashamed—it can happen to the best of us. When the website that has asked you for a new password suddenly "rejects" your password. Maybe it’s missing special characters, numbers, or a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters. Or perhaps it’s one you’ve used before. Either way, it can be a very infuriating experience.

When pushed to that limit, many people resort to using an insult as a password—often aimed at the website itself. The problem? Hackers expect this. They routinely test common epithets and curses when cracking passwords.

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"Speak ‘friend’ and enter," said Gandalf. And when he uttered the Elvish word for "friend," the massive stone door magically opened. But unless you’re a wizard in a Tolkien novel, it’s best to choose a more cryptic password than "welcome" or "hello."

These two words rank among the most commonly used passwords worldwide, and once again, hackers test them early in their attempts. A simple yet poetic word like "friend," "hello," or "welcome" might be tempting—it can make your personal computer or smartphone feel like an extension of your home. But, alas, hackers often exploit this cozy feeling. So do yourself a favor and pick something harder to crack.

Pizza Napoletana, anyone?

Which Thousand Islands made the dressing? 10 foods named after places

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Some dishes are named after people, like Caesar salad or Fettuccine Alfredo, while others are simply a description of their main ingredients, like lobster rolls or clam chowder. However, some famous dishes are named after the cities, regions, or countries where an inspired cook created them. The following 10 go from the obvious to the surprising, so stick around and prepare to crave at least one of these!

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Since buffaloes don’t have wings, it’s safe to assume that the name origin for this delicious treat must come from something else. And, as the story goes, Teressa and Frank Bellissimo of Buffalo, N.Y.’s Anchor Bar created the dish in 1964. Supposedly, the restaurant received a shipment of chicken wings instead of backs and necks, so Teressa put them in the fryer and coated them with tangy hot sauce.

Another version of the story, as told by the couple’s son, Dominic, states that Frank first created the wings on a Friday night to provide his Catholic customers with something to eat when the clock struck midnight during Lent.

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Philadelphia’s prodigal lunch, the Philly cheesesteak, is arguably the city’s most famous delicacy. The grilled beef sandwiches were first made in 1930 and served at Pat’s King of Steaks, consisting of just grilled beef and white onion on a toasted roll, though provolone cheese was added to the recipe in the 1940s. These days, you’d be hard-pressed to find a deli not selling a cheesesteak in Philadelphia.

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A dressing defined by its creamy texture and tangy, salty, and slightly sweet flavor, Thousand Island was supposedly created by Sophia LaLonde in Clayton, N.Y. Her husband, George LaLonde Jr., was a fishing guide through the Thousand Islands in the St. Lawrence River and provided meals for his tour parties. One part of the meal included "Sophia’s Sauce," a recipe that was later shared with the owners of the Herald Hotel. There, the dressing was first served to the public, where it was given its present-day name.

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A hearty pasta recipe, spaghetti bolognese was named after its place of origin, the city of Bologna, Italy. This meat-based sauce, very commonly used across the world to accompany noodles, is known to Italians as ragù alla Bolognese, but in the city of Bologna itself, the dish is known simply as ragù.

While the Bolognese sauce is a staple in Italian cuisine, the version served with spaghetti is more of an American adaptation. The Italian version is traditionally served with pasta like tagliatelle or pappardelle. The sauce is often used in lasagna as well.

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A city in southwest Germany, Frankfurt, is responsible for these delicious sausages, also known as hot dogs in the United States and Europe. Traditional Frankfurters are made from a blend of pork and beef. The meat is finely ground, mixed with salt, spices, and other seasonings, and then stuffed into a casing.

These sausages typically served in a bun, later became known as hot dogs, franks, wieners, or weenies. Nowadays hot dogs are a staple at American barbecues, baseball games, and street food vendors.

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A wild cabbage that thrived in the moderate climate of Brussels, Belgium, the sprouting vegetable originated in that city and is named after it. The Netherlands later became the largest exporter of Brussels sprouts, although they are currently grown around the world, including the U.S.

Brussels sprouts have a slightly bitter taste and a firm texture. When cooked properly, Brussels sprouts can be tender with a slightly nutty or sweet flavor. They are a traditional vegetable in Belgian cuisine, often included in festive and seasonal dishes.

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One would be forgiven to believe that such a quintessentially American dish as the hamburger was created in the United States but the beef patty that goes inside the bun was actually created in Germany. A local snack in the city of Hamburg named frikadelle, was served on its own. However, Americans developed the sandwich we know and love today by placing the patty inside a bun with salad. The dish’s popularity soared and has become one of the most enduring foods of the past 250 years.

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The only item in this list that is not a food per se, but a drink, champagne is a prime example of something edible that was named after a place. This sparkling wine is produced exclusively in the Champagne region of France and has forever been associated with luxury.

In its early days, champagne was enjoyed only by French royalty, but today it is celebrated by millions of people around the world on special occasions.

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The second "only" on this list goes to the dish with a deceiving name. While the Chicken Kyiv is the national dish of Ukraine (of which Kyiv is the capital), its origins are more likely French.

During the early 1900s, French cuisine was very popular across Russia, and Empress Elizabeth sent many of her best chefs to France to study it. One of the dishes brought back and adapted was Cotelettes de volaille, a chicken dish that is very similar to the modern Chicken Kyiv. This dish was served in Kyiv to delegations returning from Berlin after the World Wars.

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A dish that is becoming increasingly popular in the U.S. is the Korean barbecue. This preparation consists of marinated beef rib cross-sections cooked over direct heat. As its name implies, it comes from Korea.

Although Korean barbecue refers to several meat-based Korean entrées, including bulgogi (beef) and spicy pork, the most common type of meat associated with the term is the short rib variety.