Pigpen Cipher Translator
Type a message to write it in the pigpen cipher, also called the masonic or Freemason’s cipher. Save it as an image or print it for a puzzle, and decode a pigpen message by tapping the symbols.
Decode a pigpen message
Tap the symbols in order to spell the message.
The pigpen key
How the pigpen cipher works
Each letter becomes the shape of the “pen” around it in a key made of two grids and two X’s. The first grid holds A to I, the second J to R with a dot, the first X holds S to V, and the second W to Z with a dot. To write a letter, draw the lines that surround it, and add the dot if it has one.
Other versions
The key above is the most common one, in the order grid, grid, X, X. Other versions exist, for example grid, X, grid, X, or three grids with one, two or three dots. If a message does not decode, it may use a different key.
History and security
Freemasons used the cipher so often that it is also called the Freemason’s cipher: from the early 18th century they used it to keep records private. A gravestone in Trinity Church Cemetery in New York carries a message in this cipher that reads “Remember death”. It offers almost no security, which is why it is a favourite in children’s books, puzzles and escape rooms.
Source: English Wikipedia, “Pigpen cipher”.