Scytale Cipher Decoder

Paste the code and set Rod size, or open Try every rod when you have no size.

Scytale Cipher Decoder

Code to unwind: AHIHG NPADN WOESE ORNNS STITC IWHTH IXIIT ELSTN EM

This is a sample. Type or paste your own code over it.

Message

APENCILHASSIXSIDESWITHNOTHINGWRITTENONTHEM
No rod size? Try every rod

Every rod that changes the order, scored by how many common English letter pairs the reading has.

RodReadingScoreUse it
6 LikelyAPENCILHASSIXSIDESWITHNOTHINGWRITTENONTHEM31.66In use
9 LikelyANNWTHWSHEIOSTLHETHSGSIITNETXNPOCIEARIIMDN21.43
21 LikelyATHIITHCGINWPHATDHNIWXOIEISTEEOLRSNTNNSESM22.03
2AIGPDWEERNSICWTIITLTEHHNANOSONSTTIHHXIESNM13.89
3AHPNEONTCHIILNHGAWSRSIITXTSEINDOENSTWHIETM13.34
4AGDERSCTILNHNNSNTIHISEIPWENIWITTMHAOOSTHXE17.46
5ANWOSIITTHPORTWXENIAENIHILEHDSNTTISMGNESCH17.98
7AAETTEHDOIHLINRTISHWNCXTGONIINNESWIEPSSHTM12.32
11AOIIHETIISCTHEIEGOWLNRHSPNTTANHNDSIENSXMWT18.00
14AETHOHIRIHNXGNINSIPSTATEDILNTSWCTOINEWESHM18.94
More options
The number means
  • 42 letters in 6 rows of 7. Every row is full, so this is every 6th letter.
  • With the spaces back: a pencil has six sides with nothing written on them
The strip wound back on the rod: each slanted band is one turn, and the message reads along the rod, row after row.
AHIHGNPADNWOESEORNNSSTITCIWHTHIXIITELSTNEM
The code dealt back onto the rod. Read along each row to get the message.
RowTurn 1Turn 2Turn 3Turn 4Turn 5Turn 6Turn 7
Row 1APENCIL
Row 2HASSIXS
Row 3IDESWIT
Row 4HNOTHIN
Row 5GWRITTE
Row 6NONTHEM

Next step No rod reads? The columns may follow a key wordClue has lettered wheels on the rod? That is a Jefferson

How it works

This scytale cipher decoder winds your code back onto a rod of any size, or tries every rod and marks the three rows that read most like English. Below are 27 worked rods, each with its message.

Read the full guide

Code, rod size, read along

Paste the code into Code to unwind and set Rod size. With full rows, a rod of 4 takes every 4th letter: IOTOC TYDAM OANEU YNETX reads I cannot meet you today, then X. No rod size? Try every rod marks the three rows richest in English letter pairs. For all 25 scrambled codes below, the right rod was among them.

When the letters do not divide

Nineteen letters do not fill a rod of 3. A sender pads with X, so send figs not soldiers ends XX, or leaves the last row short. Decoding needs no choice: the letter count says which columns are short. A clue that counts turns of the strip? Under More options, set The number means to Turns of the strip.

Tips
  • Count first. Twenty letters fill rods of 2, 4, 5 and 10 exactly. A sender who padded chose one.
  • Rod of 1 moves nothing, and neither does a rod that takes the whole message in one turn.
  • Every rod gives nonsense? The columns may have been read in a key word's order: a columnar transposition.

Questions and answers

How do I decode a scytale cipher without the rod?

Try every size. The rod is only a number, and a 40-letter code has fewer than 20 sizes worth trying, so Try every rod is the whole attack. Whoever intercepts the strip, Wikipedia says, can find the rod size with little difficulty.

Did the Spartans really use the scytale?

They are said to have. The first mention is Archilochus in the 7th century BC, but no account of how it worked is known before Plutarch's, centuries later. Several authors suggest his account is mythological and the scytale carried plain messages.

How does a scytale cipher work?

A strip is wound round a rod and the message written along it, a letter on each turn. Unwound, the strip shows the letters out of order. Nothing is replaced, so E and T stay commonest. Treasure hunts only, never a real secret.

More tools

Browse Text styles

All 27 worked rods

Exact fit 11

  • Rod of 10: 30 letters, exact fit 10 letters round, 3 turns. TKGSK FFEIL HIHAE OERDE ENASD RWRDS unwinds to: the king has asked for fewer riddles. Every row is full, so take every tenth letter.
  • Rod of 11: 33 letters, exact fit 11 letters round, 3 turns. TFEAS EHOSM OHLTI WNEAC EMEES LHTGT OHE unwinds to: the fleet sails when the goats come home. Every row is full, so take every eleventh letter.
  • Rod of 12: 36 letters, exact fit 12 letters round, 3 turns. SPITE URKIO VTUES TUAOB NLEOP RAHSL CRGIS O unwinds to: supper is at the usual rock bring olives too. Every row is full, so take every twelfth letter.
  • Rod of 2: 26 letters, exact fit 2 letters round, 13 turns. TUHME BRROE DLILS AISNT TAHNE D unwinds to: the rod is in the umbrella stand. Every row is full, so take every second letter.
  • Rod of 3: 27 letters, exact fit 3 letters round, 9 turns. NPOOE LBCLO TIDSN YTGSH PUEIS RN unwinds to: nobody suspects the rolling pin. Every row is full, so take every third letter.
Show all 27 worked rods (22 more)

Exact fit, continued

  • Rod of 4: 32 letters, exact fit 4 letters round, 8 turns. TWEYH ETMEN AISTN STTNT ROEAA TRKPH BE unwinds to: the strap went to the tanner by mistake. Every row is full, so take every fourth letter.
  • Rod of 5: 25 letters, exact fit 5 letters round, 5 turns. TONAT HODSH EMLTI BHEOC RAWOK unwinds to: the broom handle was too thick. Every row is full, so take every fifth letter.
  • Rod of 6: 42 letters, exact fit 6 letters round, 7 turns. AHIHG NPADN WOESE ORNNS STITC IWHTH IXIIT ELSTN EM unwinds to: a pencil has six sides with nothing written on them. Every row is full, so take every sixth letter.
  • Rod of 7: 35 letters, exact fit 7 letters round, 5 turns. LTRDE DEEHA ETOTA EPRHL RVSUT IIEET NHRVE unwinds to: leave the strap under the third olive tree. Every row is full, so take every seventh letter.
  • Rod of 8: 24 letters, exact fit 8 letters round, 3 turns. THSTH ITAHO EEERD FERAT FSRT unwinds to: the horse ate the first draft. Every row is full, so take every eighth letter.
  • Rod of 9: 27 letters, exact fit 9 letters round, 3 turns. TGELN HSCAH ERWTI TKCEN AASSI BK unwinds to: the general wants his stick back. Every row is full, so take every ninth letter.

Padded with X 6

  • Rod of 3: 19 letters, 2 X added 3 letters round, 7 turns. The message has 19 letters, so XX was added to fill the last row. SSDEN INOED TRFSS IOXGL X unwinds to: send figs not soldiers, then XX.
  • Rod of 4: 29 letters, 3 X added 4 letters round, 8 turns. The message has 29 letters, so XXX was added to fill the last row. CLEPO EFAUT ONNTR ITEEC TRYXH SOXEB UX unwinds to: count the letters before you panic, then XXX.
  • Rod of 5: 17 letters, 3 X added 5 letters round, 4 turns. The message has 17 letters, so XXX was added to fill the last row. TWLAN HLAGX EITAX OSEIX unwinds to: the owl is late again, then XXX.
  • Rod of 6: 29 letters, 1 X added 6 letters round, 5 turns. The message has 29 letters, so X was added to fill the last row. WEMPE RHRYL RNOHR EEIEA OATTV SDSUX unwinds to: whoever has my rod please return it, then X.
  • Rod of 7: 31 letters, 4 X added 7 letters round, 5 turns. The message has 31 letters, so XXXX was added to fill the last row. TSEDA WTHSR HNIXE ETIDT XMNIS AHXEG ESLIX unwinds to: the messenger tied his sandal with it, then XXXX.
  • Rod of 9: 41 letters, 4 X added 9 letters round, 5 turns. The message has 41 letters, so XXXX was added to fill the last row. TIXYE NNCSW CAAIG DKXOK CLNTT NXSST ILHHE XTELK EAISX unwinds to: two sticks exactly alike in length and thickness, then XXXX.

Short last row 6

  • Rod of 3: 17 letters, short last row 3 letters round, 6 turns, no padding. 17 letters leave the last row 1 letter short, so the last column holds only 2 letters. BLSRO TINRN GIGEP AR unwinds to: bring a longer strip.
  • Rod of 4: 31 letters, short last row 4 letters round, 8 turns, no padding. 31 letters leave the last row 1 letter short, so the last column holds only 3 letters. POHRL PECEU GHASO MSIOE ENDNS GPTTT A unwinds to: please stop using the good parchment.
  • Rod of 5: 27 letters, short last row 5 letters round, 6 turns, no padding. 27 letters leave the last row 3 letters short, so the last 3 columns hold only 4 letters. TINAE HPGNW EIETS SSRHT LTERO HN unwinds to: the strip is longer than the news.
  • Rod of 6: 38 letters, short last row 6 letters round, 7 turns, no padding. 38 letters leave the last row 4 letters short, so the last 4 columns hold only 5 letters. TRIHF AHSSE OIEHL IFREA ARTPV IHHHE DAEOM TLP unwinds to: the ephors have mislaid their half of the pair.
  • Rod of 7: 26 letters, short last row 7 letters round, 4 turns, no padding. 26 letters leave the last row 2 letters short, so the last 2 columns hold only 6 letters. AHORO RCSEK TTSKK CFHHT TOOEE I unwinds to: ask the cook for the other stick.
  • Rod of 8: 22 letters, short last row 8 letters round, 3 turns, no padding. 22 letters leave the last row 2 letters short, so the last 2 columns hold only 7 letters. WPTOE AODRI HTRYU ATEHW RN unwinds to: wrap it the other way round.

Wikipedia's examples 2

  • Rod of 4: Wikipedia's padded example Wikipedia's second example. 19 letters and one x on the end make 20, wound on a rod 4 letters round. IOTOC TYDAM OANEU YNETX unwinds to: i cannot meet you today, then X. The article reads it off as every fourth letter.
  • Rod of 4: Wikipedia's park example Wikipedia's first example: four letters round the rod and five down the side. MSETE APOET ADTTR AUHKY unwinds to: meet us at the park today.

Nothing moves 2

  • Rod of 18: as long as the message A rod 18 letters round takes all 18 letters in a single turn, one per row, so unwinding puts them back in order. THISB ELTIS NOTAB ELT is already the message: this belt is not a belt. Any fatter rod does the same.
  • Rod of 1: nothing moves One letter round means one long row, and a strip with one row unwinds in the order it was written. ARODO FONEH IDESN OTHIN G is already the message: a rod of one hides nothing.

How this list was compiled: The method, and the two items marked as Wikipedia's, come from the article Scytale (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scytale), read on 2026-09-19: a strip wound on a rod, the message written along it, a rod that takes four letters round and five down its side, Meet us at the park today becoming Mseteapoetadttrauhky, padding with X, and Iotoctydamoaneuynetx read back as every fourth letter. The build script reproduces both of those codes exactly before it writes this list. Every other message was written for this site, encoded by the script, decoded again by a separate routine and checked to match. The letter-pair weights in the pairs field are the 42 most common English bigrams with their percentages from the article Bigram (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigram), read on 2026-09-19, which credits Peter Norvig's count. No rod here is a measurement of a real object: a rod size is a count of letters, not a width. Licence: own work; the two published examples and the 42 letter-pair figures named in the source line are quoted with credit