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Free printable

Printable Cipher Wheel

Make your own secret decoder wheel. Pick the rings, add a title, then print it, cut out the two discs and pin them together to write and crack Caesar cipher messages.

Design your wheel

Inner ring
Options

Tip: print on card stock for a sturdier wheel, or choose Save as PDF in the print window to keep a copy.

Printable cipher wheel

Secret Decoder Wheel

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ OUTER DISC Pin through the center mark ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ SHIFT TOP SECRET ✂ OUTER DISC Cut along the dashed line ✂ INNER DISC Cut along the dashed line
  1. Cut out both discs along the dashed lines.
  2. Lay the small disc on the big one and push a split pin through both center marks.
  3. Turn the inner disc to pick a shift, then swap each letter on the outer ring for the one below it.
MysteryLocks Printable Escape Rooms Made with the free cipher wheel maker at mysterylocks.com

How to use a cipher wheel

  1. Agree on a shift with your players, for example turn the wheel so A on the outer ring sits over D on the inner ring.

  2. To encode, find each letter of your message on the outer ring and write down the letter under it on the inner ring.

  3. To decode, go the other way: find each coded letter on the inner ring and read the letter above it on the outer ring.

Ready for a whole escape room?

Our printable escape rooms put ciphers like these into a full story, with puzzles to solve, a mystery to crack and everything ready to print and play at home tonight.

Browse printable escape rooms
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Cipher wheel questions

What is a cipher wheel?

A cipher wheel is two alphabet discs pinned together at the center. Turning the inner disc lines each letter up with a different one, so you can write and read Caesar cipher messages without working out the shift by hand.

How do I make a cipher wheel?

Print this page, cut out the outer and inner discs along the dashed lines, then push a split pin (brass paper fastener) through both center marks. Printing on card stock makes the wheel last longer.

What is the numbers ring for?

Choose Numbers 1 to 26 for the inner ring to turn letters into numbers. Turn the inner disc away from the start and you get a shifted number code that is much harder to guess than plain A=1, B=2.

Can I use a cipher wheel in an escape room?

Yes. Hide the wheel as a clue, give players a coded message and a hint for the shift, and let them turn the wheel to crack it. Leave the inner ring blank and write in your own mixed-up alphabet for a tougher puzzle.