Pigpen Cipher (Freemason's Cipher)
NewEncode text into the classic Pigpen cipher, rendering each letter as its traditional grid symbol — a tic-tac-toe grid for A-R (dotted for J-R) and an X-grid for S-Z (dotted for W-Z).
Show full alphabet key
Each letter's symbol is the set of grid lines that would surround it in the traditional Pigpen (Freemason's cipher) layout: A-I use a plain tic-tac-toe grid, J-R use the same grid with a dot added, S-V use an X-shaped grid, and W-Z use the X-grid with a dot. Non-letter characters (spaces, punctuation) are shown as plain text between symbols.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the Pigpen cipher actually work?
Each letter of the alphabet is assigned a position within one of four reference grids (two tic-tac-toe grids and two X-shaped grids), and the letter is written as the shape of the grid lines surrounding that position — so the cipher "letter" is a geometric symbol instead of another letter.
Why do some symbols have a dot and others don't?
Each of the four grids (two tic-tac-toe, two X) has only 9 or 4 positions, which isn't enough to cover all 26 letters — so a second copy of each grid type is used with an added dot in each symbol, effectively doubling the available positions.
Is this cipher actually secure?
No — it's a simple substitution cipher with no key, so anyone who recognizes the classic Pigpen symbol-to-letter mapping (which is public and has been used since at least the 18th century) can decode it instantly. It's used for puzzles, novelty, and historical interest, not real security.
Where does the name "Pigpen" come from?
It comes from the visual resemblance of the tic-tac-toe grid pattern to a pig pen or livestock enclosure fence. It's also historically known as the Freemason's cipher, since Freemasons used a similar system in 18th-century documents.