Pigpen Cipher Translator
Turn any message into Pigpen cipher symbols, or tap the symbols to decode a secret note. Download your message as an image and use it in your own puzzles.
Your symbols will appear here.
Pigpen only has letters, so numbers and punctuation are skipped.
Decode a Pigpen message
Tap the symbols in order. The letters appear as you go.
Tap a symbol to start.
Pigpen cipher key
The classic key uses two tic-tac-toe grids and two X shapes. Each letter is the shape of the lines around it, and the second grid and X add a dot.
Grid letters · A–I
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
Grid letters · J–R
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
- Q
- R
X letters · S–V
- S
- T
- U
- V
X letters · W–Z
- W
- X
- Y
- Z
How to write in Pigpen cipher
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Find your letter in the key: A to I sit in the first grid, J to R in the dotted grid, S to V in the first X and W to Z in the dotted X.
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Draw only the lines that surround the letter. Add a dot if the letter comes from a dotted grid or X.
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Leave a little space between words so your players can tell them apart.
Use Pigpen in your own escape room
Pigpen is a favourite escape room cipher: hide the symbols on a map, a wall or a secret letter, and let players race to find the key. Our printable escape rooms are packed with clever ciphers like this, ready to print and play at home tonight.
Pigpen cipher questions
What is the Pigpen cipher?
The Pigpen cipher is a simple substitution cipher that swaps each letter for a symbol made from the lines of a grid or an X. It is also called the Freemason’s cipher, the Masonic cipher or the tic-tac-toe cipher, because the Freemasons used it in the 18th century.
How do you decode a Pigpen cipher?
Match each symbol to the key: look at which lines surround it and whether it has a dot. Then read the letter in that spot of the grid or X. On this page you can simply tap the symbols in order.
Is the Pigpen cipher hard to crack?
Not for anyone who knows the key, which is why it works so well for puzzles and games. The fun is in spotting the pattern and building the key yourself.
Is this tool free?
Yes. It is free to use for puzzles, classrooms, games and secret messages, with no signup.
