diff --git a/src/mnemonics/electrum-words.cpp b/src/mnemonics/electrum-words.cpp
index c31344f61..9e1cc9ec8 100644
--- a/src/mnemonics/electrum-words.cpp
+++ b/src/mnemonics/electrum-words.cpp
@@ -259,7 +259,7 @@ namespace crypto
     {
       if (is_uninitialized())
       {
-        init("", true);
+        init("english", true);
       }
 
       // To store the words for random access to add the checksum word later.