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Pigpen Cipher

Turn letters into the geometric grid-and-X symbols of the Pigpen cipher, or decode a message with the clickable visual alphabet.

Learn how the Pigpen cipher works

Plaintext Input

Letters: 0 Total chars: 0

Pigpen Output

Symbols: 0 Export: SVG / PNG

A–I are undotted grid symbols; J–R repeat the same shapes with dots; S–V and W–Z use the four X-shaped wedges.

Reference view — switch to Decode to make the symbols clickable.

Cipher Properties

Type: Symbol Substitution Alphabet: 26 Letters Key Shapes: Grid + X Security: Very Weak Also Called: Masonic Cipher Active Mode: Encode
Using This Tool: Guide & Notes Show guide

Pigpen replaces each letter with a geometric symbol taken from two grid-shaped keys and two X-shaped keys. This tool can draw those symbols from text or help you reconstruct plaintext by clicking the matching alphabet symbols.

How to use it

  • Choose Encode to type ordinary text and see the Pigpen symbols appear immediately.
  • Choose Decode when you have a visual Pigpen message, then click the matching symbols in the alphabet in reading order.
  • Use the decoder controls to add spaces, line breaks, or punctuation and to correct the most recent selection.
  • Copy decoded text, or export an encoded symbol message as SVG or high-resolution PNG.

Options and settings

  • Preserve spaces keeps word gaps visible; turning it off produces a continuous symbol stream.
  • Keep punctuation and numbers carries non-letter characters into encoded output instead of removing them.
  • Letter hints place the matching A–Z character beneath each symbol for learning and checking the key.
  • Compact spacing, symbol size, and line weight change presentation only; they do not change the cipher mapping.
  • Lowercase decoded text changes the letter case of decoded output without altering the selected symbols.

Notes

  • Pigpen is a monoalphabetic substitution cipher, so repeated letters always produce repeated symbols and frequency patterns remain visible.
  • Historical and puzzle sources sometimes arrange the letters differently. Always compare the source key with the complete alphabet shown by the tool.
  • Pigpen is useful for puzzles and teaching, but it does not provide modern cryptographic security.
See all tools
Substitution Cipher Encrypt or decrypt text with a fully custom monoalphabetic substitution alphabet. Keyword Cipher Build a keyed substitution alphabet from a cleaned keyword. Atbash Cipher Mirror the alphabet so A maps to Z, B to Y, and so on. Caesar Cipher Shift plaintext letters by a fixed number of positions.
Related Article

Pigpen Cipher: The Alphabet Hidden Inside a Grid

How corners, wedges, and dots turned ordinary letters into one of history’s most recognisable secret alphabets.

Read the article
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A note from the team

We build these tools because we love cryptography, encoding, and making difficult ideas easier to explore. If they've helped you, even a small coffee means the world to the project. Thank you!

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