# Has anyone ever seen a list of the most common REASONS people choose their particular 4 digit pin number? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 1, 2023, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-seen-a-list-of-the-most-common-reasons-people-choose-their-particular-4-digit-pin-number/993966 "2023-12-01T16:09:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2023, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-seen-a-list-of-the-most-common-reasons-people-choose-their-particular-4-digit-pin-number/993966/81 "2023-12-03T22:56:10Z")
> [@Steven\_Maven](#): > > I once had a randomly assigned number for my ATM card that had personal significance but was very obscure. I have an ATM card with a randomly assigned six-digit number. Pretty easy to remember because it’s basically MMDDYY format. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2023, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-seen-a-list-of-the-most-common-reasons-people-choose-their-particular-4-digit-pin-number/993966/82 "2023-12-03T23:14:07Z")
Everyone knows. Nobody cares. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2023, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-seen-a-list-of-the-most-common-reasons-people-choose-their-particular-4-digit-pin-number/993966/83 "2023-12-03T23:31:12Z")
> [@Common\_Tater](#): > > Or if you feel you must, a PI number. My PI number is 3.1415926535. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2023, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-seen-a-list-of-the-most-common-reasons-people-choose-their-particular-4-digit-pin-number/993966/84 "2023-12-04T01:36:23Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Yeah - childhood phone number/address - duplicated or backwards if getting crazy sophisticated Me exactly - with the forwards and backwards bit too. My address and phone number and phone numbers of friends from 40+ years ago. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2023, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-seen-a-list-of-the-most-common-reasons-people-choose-their-particular-4-digit-pin-number/993966/85 "2023-12-04T05:33:16Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > 1. I dont use it, but its clever Ok, fight my ignorance. Why is it clever? ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2023, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-seen-a-list-of-the-most-common-reasons-people-choose-their-particular-4-digit-pin-number/993966/86 "2023-12-04T08:09:27Z")
It doesn’t start with any birthday month. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2023, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-seen-a-list-of-the-most-common-reasons-people-choose-their-particular-4-digit-pin-number/993966/87 "2023-12-04T08:55:29Z")
> [@eschrodinger](#): > > Do you use a random number generator of some kind Yes, I always use 4d10 to generate new PINs when required. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2023, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-seen-a-list-of-the-most-common-reasons-people-choose-their-particular-4-digit-pin-number/993966/88 "2023-12-04T18:53:25Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Ok, fight my ignorance. Why is it clever? Don’t get it either. 8086 would be memorable as a classic microprocessor (but thus also a well-known number to try). But 8068? Oh. I get it now, it was an NBC news article. ---
**Author:** ![inconspicuous](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inconspicuous/32/15617_2.png) [@inconspicuous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inconspicuous)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2023, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-seen-a-list-of-the-most-common-reasons-people-choose-their-particular-4-digit-pin-number/993966/89 "2023-12-04T23:14:57Z")
i chose 3 numbers specifically because they were my old discriminator tags on discord. they’re just special to me. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2023, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-seen-a-list-of-the-most-common-reasons-people-choose-their-particular-4-digit-pin-number/993966/90 "2023-12-04T23:39:16Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Sorry, none of the systems that ask for PINs will allow me to use π. It’s too long for a four-digit field and contains a decimal point. That’s why I just use the last four digits of π. 😃 In reality, I use different mnemonics for different PINs. > [@Procrustus](#): > > Has anyone ever heard of a case where some stranger was able to get access to someone’s money via an ATM by guessing their PIN? It was a plot point in _Trainspotting 2_ - find a group for whom a particular year is exceptionally meaningful, steal as many of their bank cards as you can, and get inputting. I’m not aware of such a thing happening in real life, of course. But then why would I? ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2023, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-seen-a-list-of-the-most-common-reasons-people-choose-their-particular-4-digit-pin-number/993966/91 "2023-12-07T17:02:25Z")
IMHO, a PIN, typically 4 numbers is different than a PWD. Seems we are talking about a little of both. For one of my PIN’s, that my bank assigned, I just figured out that 2 of the numbers where a special date and subtract 1. Same with the next two numbers. For PWD’s for work that are long and need the full complex of Upper, lower, numbers and special char. Has to be 14 in length. I look inward to a song I like. And a line in that song. I use the first letter of each word in the line. Very easy for me to remember. Insert some numbers and chars, and Bob’s your uncle. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-seen-a-list-of-the-most-common-reasons-people-choose-their-particular-4-digit-pin-number/993966/92 "2023-12-08T16:33:46Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > my assigned random number that I carried along from bank to bank, since I had them already memorized, This precisely. > [@Common\_Tater](#): > > “PIN Number”? Personal Identification Number Number? Sadly, this seems to be standard usage. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-seen-a-list-of-the-most-common-reasons-people-choose-their-particular-4-digit-pin-number/993966/93 "2023-12-08T16:50:41Z")
Why “sadly”? Redundancy is a _feature_ of human language. “Number” is clarifying in this case, as “pin” on its own has another meaning. Yes, there’s always context to help, but this makes it absolutely clear. I mean, we say “HIV virus” without most people batting an eye. When one uses an acronym or initialism, it is parsed as a single unit lexically, not as its individual parts. It’s completely natural, in my opinion, to say phrases like “ATM machine” and “VIN number” because our brains don’t say “automatic teller machine machine” when they parse the sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-seen-a-list-of-the-most-common-reasons-people-choose-their-particular-4-digit-pin-number/993966/94 "2023-12-08T18:21:23Z")
My PINs, including phone/ipad log-in numbers, are all older PINs, including door codes. Occasionally, I’ll swap digits. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2024, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-seen-a-list-of-the-most-common-reasons-people-choose-their-particular-4-digit-pin-number/993966/95 "2024-05-07T21:08:02Z")
Yep, for my BankOne account in 1983, I followed the same logic. It also helped that it spelled a word. Once I memozied it I just kept on using it to this day. The only time it got complicated was when I went to Europe and the ATM keyboards were labeled in a different order. Oops, just realized this was a zombie thread. Oh well ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2024, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-seen-a-list-of-the-most-common-reasons-people-choose-their-particular-4-digit-pin-number/993966/96 "2024-05-07T22:23:01Z")
I could’ve written this. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2024, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-seen-a-list-of-the-most-common-reasons-people-choose-their-particular-4-digit-pin-number/993966/97 "2024-05-07T23:21:10Z")
I use words. I don’t even know what the numbers are. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-seen-a-list-of-the-most-common-reasons-people-choose-their-particular-4-digit-pin-number/993966.md?page=4)