Passwords are used throughout Hogwarts Castle to restrict entry to certain areas such as house common rooms and teacher offices. Passwords in Hogwarts appear to change on a frequent basis.
During Sir Cadogan's period of guarding the Gryffindor common room, he changed passwords so frequently that Neville Longbottom had to write them down. This list was snatched by Crookshanks and was given to Sirius Black, allowing him entrance.
Passwords were also used as a way to gain to access to the radio programme Potterwatch, as a way to protect it from Death Eaters possibly listening. New passwords were introduced at the end of each broadcast, and could be used to listen to the next one.
List of previously used passwords
Hogwarts
Gryffindor Common Room
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
- Caput Draconis (Latin for "Dragon's Head")
- Pig Snout
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- Wattlebird
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Fortuna Major (Latin for "greater luck")
- Flibbertigibbet
- Oddsbodikins
- Scurvy Cur
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- Balderdash
- Banana Fritters
- Fairy Lights
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Abstinence
- Baubles
- Dilligrout
- Tapeworm
- Quid Agis (Latin for "How are you")
Ravenclaw Tower
(Instead of a password, a conundrum is posed.)
- Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?
- Answer: A circle has no beginning.
- Where do Vanished objects go?
- Answer: Into nonbeing, which is to say, everything.
Slytherin Dungeon
Headmaster's Office
Minerva McGonagall using "Sherbet lemon" in 1992.
- Acid Pops
- Cockroach Clusters
- Fizzing Whizbees
- Sherbet lemon
- Lemon drop
- Toffee Eclairs
- Dumbledore
- Chocolate Frogs
Prefects' bathroom
- Pine fresh
One-Eyed Witch Passage
- Dissendium
Chamber of Secrets and Salazar Slytherin's Locket
- "Open" (spoken in Parseltongue)
- Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts four. (spoken in Parseltongue, to release Salazar Slytherin's basilisk from its nesting place)
Elizabeth Burke's portrait
- Slytherins are Supreme
- Facta, non verba[1] (Latin for Deeds, not words)
Percival Pratt's portrait
- This Password is Absurd
Basil Fronsac's portrait
- Studious Success
- Libraries Liberate[2]
Giffard Abbott's portrait
- Dragon's Egg
- Light against Darkness[2]
Damara Dodderidge's portrait
- Chops and Gravy
- Dashing Cadogan[2]
Boris the Bewildered's portrait
- Forget-Me-Never
Old Posh Baron's portrait
- Fizzy Pop
(Grounds portrait)
- Catweazle
(Dungeons portrait)
- Wanglewort
(Upper Castle portrait)
- Wolf's Bane
Potterwatch
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Possibly)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (Possibly)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
- Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4