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QuestionHow can I get better at creating ciphers or codes?
Kevin BentleyKevin Bentley is a puzzle maker and designer of Komino Puzzles based in England. In 2016, Kevin invented Komino puzzles, which are logic puzzles with a unique set of logical rules inspired by domino pieces and jigsaw puzzles. He has created over 30 different designs of Komino puzzles, 12 of which are presented in his first book of 200 puzzles called Komino Puzzles, published in 2018. Kevin has had a lifelong interest in solving all kinds of puzzles, including Rubik’s cube and Sudoku, and is a computer programmer with over 30 years of experience.
Puzzlemaking ExpertStart simple. Learn substitution ciphers, where one letter consistently substitutes another. A great resource is The Code Book, which covers the history of ciphers and includes puzzles to solve. Once you grasp substitution, you can move to more complex multisubstitution ciphers, where letters can represent multiple others based on a key. -
QuestionHow can I get better at solving a cryptogram or a coded message?
A.J. JacobsA.J. Jacobs is an Author, Journalist, and Crossword Puzzle Expert based in New York, New York. He is a human guinea pig who has written four New York Times bestsellers that combine memoir, science, humor and self-help. His book, “The Puzzler”, details why puzzles matter and describes his project to solve the most complicated puzzles that exist, including word-based and number-based puzzles, along with riddles. He is an editor at large at Esquire magazine, a commentator on NPR and a columnist for Mental Floss magazine. In addition to his books, Jacobs written for The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, and New York magazine. He has appeared on Oprah, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, The Dr. Oz Show, Conan and The Colbert Report. He has given several TED talks, including ones about living biblically, creating a one-world family, and living healthily. He is a periodic commentator on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday, writes a bi-weekly advice column for Esquire.com called “My Huddled Masses”, and is a columnist for the LinkedIn Influencers program. He received a BA in Philosophy and English from Brown University.
Crossword Puzzle ExpertThe most common method to start is called frequency analysis. This is based on the fact that certain letters in English are used more often than others. For instance, if you see a lot of Js, it’s probably not J—it might be E, A, or S, which are more frequent. You can also look for short words or single letters that might be "A" or "I." Apostrophes are helpful too—if a letter comes after an apostrophe, it’s probably an S. Another trick is recognizing common letter pairs. For example, SH is much more likely than XZ. If you’ve decoded an S and see an F frequently after it, that F might be an H or a vowel. These patterns help crack codes. -
QuestionCan I use a secret code generator?
wikiHow Staff EditorThis answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Staff Answer
wikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerYes, there are a variety of secret code generators. You can use something like a simple cipher wheel, or find a code generator online. -
QuestionWhat are some famous secret codes?
wikiHow Staff EditorThis answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Staff Answer
wikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerSome of the most famous secret codes in history include the Caesar shift, The Vigenère square, and the Enigma machine. -
QuestionHow do you make a cipher wheel?
wikiHow Staff EditorThis answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Staff Answer
wikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerOne easy way to do it is to print out a premade cipher wheel template. The cipher wheel consists of 2 circles with the letters of the alphabet written along the outer edges. Place the smaller circle on top of the larger one and fasten them together with a split pin. Turn the inner wheel so that one of the letters lines up with the letter of your choice on the outer wheel (such as Z and C), then pin the wheel in place so you can use the wheel as a guide when writing your cipher! -
QuestionWhat should I do if someone figures out my secret code/cipher?
Community Answerif it's someone who you don't want knowing, make a new code and tell all others involved that the code's been changed. If you don't mind the person knowing, explain it to them, and extend your 'inner circle'. -
QuestionWhat is the use of it?
Community AnswerIt can be used to keep something in secret (in a group of for yourself, commonly used in diaries) or share information unnoticeable with a group of people in front of other people. This is actually really fun to create and use, especially if you add your own twist to it. -
QuestionHow do I find out what a secret code is?
Community AnswerYou can find out secret codes using Omniglot. I recommend this website as it gives the real script of all the languages in the world. -
QuestionCan I use more than one code/method in a single writing?
Community AnswerYes you can, as long as the receiver has instructions on how to decode it.
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QuestionDo you know how I can use Morse code in school without being noticed?
Community AnswerTap your foot to correspond with the dots and dashes, or write down dots and dashed to create a secret message, and pass that to the person you wish to communicate with.
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QuestionWhat should I do if my information is leaked?
Community AnswerCreate a new code or modify the original code, and tell everybody but that one person that it has been modified.
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QuestionHow will I be able to do this if I don't have any friends?
Community AnswerYou don't need friends to use codes and ciphers. You can use codes and ciphers to create messages for only yourself. Just make sure you don't forget the code. -
QuestionHow can I use codes in school without my classmates noticing?
Community AnswerYou can tap your finger on your desk to communicate in code (like Morse code), or pretend to drop a pencil with the note around it, or just drop a piece of paper and try to kick it towards your friend.
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QuestionWhat if it is spreading?
Community AnswerAlter the code slightly so only the intended people can decipher it.
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QuestionHow does the date shift code translate?
Community AnswerWhen you give them the code, they'll know the date. They'll put it under the letters, backtrack it accordingly and voila, the code's message.
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QuestionIf a key is written with the code, won't that make the code useless?
Community AnswerIt will not as long if the key is written as a hint. If the key is written normally and the 'enemy' knows how the code works, then it is useless.
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QuestionWhat is the best code to use in general?
Community AnswerThe substitution cipher is great for simplicity.
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QuestionHow do I avoid making a code too hard or too simple?
Community AnswerTry combining 2 simpler codes together to get a relatively easy to cipher code most won't understand.
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QuestionWhen do I need to use secret codes?
Community AnswerWhen you are hiding a secret you don't want everybody know about, secret codes can help. You might want to use code when communicating with others familiar with the code, writing in a journal, or recording information.
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QuestionHow long do you think it will take to learn either Morse code or binary well enough to decipher either from memory only?
Community AnswerMorse code will be easier, taking maybe an hour of practice to be fairly fluent and a few days to have it fully locked in. Binary can be a bit harder, but also doable for the average brain.
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QuestionWhat do I do if someone finds out my secret code?
Community AnswerIf someone finds out your code, you will have to change it. Make sure to let the other people involved with the code know about the changes.
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QuestionI invented a great new cipher! How do I test its security?
Livia HorowitzCommunity AnswerHave your friends or siblings help try to crack it. Hold a snacks-and-cracks afternoon to attract them! -
QuestionCan a computer unscramble a sentence if I scramble all 20 letters?
Ansel LeonardCommunity AnswerA computer can use brute force to try every combination, though this is not a code but an anagram. Computers, like ChatGPT, can do this quickly, especially with access to a dictionary. -
QuestionWhat is an advanced way to create my own codes?
Ansel LeonardCommunity AnswerTo create your own advanced codes, consider using the RSA cipher, which requires complex mathematics and a calculator, making it almost uncrackable. Alternatively, you can use the Vigenère cipher, which is complex but doesn't require advanced math.
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QuestionHow can I create an easy code language?
selahCommunity AnswerYou can remove the spaces between words or place the spaces in incorrect locations. -
QuestionHow can I create an easy code for kids?
WikiIbisWatcher403Top AnswererUse symbols. For example, a picture of an ant can represent the letter A, and a snowman can represent the letter a. Just try to use simple symbols. -
QuestionWhat are some simple codes that include numbers?
WikiIbisWatcher403Top AnswererYou can create a code by lining up numbers from 1 to 26 and assigning a random letter to each number.
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QuestionAre there any codes that use pictures instead of letters?
Ali GarbaczCommunity AnswerThe beauty of secret codes is that you can be as creative as you want when making them! So if you want to use pictures instead of code words or letters to represent a certain word or phrase, that can definitely work. For example, an apple could be "Hi," while a cat represents the word "walk." It's likely best if the picture doesn't explicitly represent the word (i.e. a picture of a bee actually representing the word "bee"). The more abstract the pictures are in relation to their meanings, the more difficult your code will be to crack.
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QuestionWhat if my friends don’t understand the code and don’t know what it says?
Ali GarbaczCommunity AnswerYou can either teach them how to use your code, or show them the key / code book you made. They can use your guide as a sort of instruction manual for reading your secret code.
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QuestionWhat is the reference for a binary code?
MetalaxCommunity AnswerEvery letter/symbol has its own corresponding ASCII code. And every ASCII code can be converted into binary code. To encrypt a text, first, convert each letter into ASCII format then convert that ASCII code into binary. To decrypt it reverse the process; convert the binary string into ASCII codes then ASCII codes back to their corresponding letters. For example: Letter: A, ASCII: 65, 65 in binary: 1000001.
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