How to Make a Printable Secret Code

Like a barcode, information is hidden in plain sight where only some people can read it.

Transferring messages hidden in codes is an extremely effective way to covertly spread information. This is a fun addition to spy games for kids, or to make notes passed to a friend or family member a little more interesting. One of these codes is the Pigpen or Masonic code, invented by the Freemasons. You can very easily put this code into your word processor's font book and type messages in it.

Things You'll Need

• MS Word or word processing software
• Masonic code font
• Pencil and paper

Instructions

Installing Fonts (Windows)

1. Download a .ttf file for the Pigpen cipher font, and save the file in your "Windows" directory, under the "Fonts" folder.

2. Open "Control Panel," either from your "Start" menu or from the "My Computer" screen. Double-click "Fonts" to open the Font screen.

3. Click the "File" tab and choose "Add New Font." Navigate through the dialog box to the .ttf file you downloaded earlier and click "Open." Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation. Close "Fonts" and "Control Panel."

Installing Fonts (Mac)

1. Download the .ttf file for the Pigpen cipher font to the "Fonts" folder in the "Library."

2. Open the "Font Book" application. It's stored under the "Applications" folder, but you can also find it by using the search box on any "Finder" window.

3. Click to open the "File" menu and select "Add Font." Choose the font file you downloaded earlier and click "OK." The system will add the font to your font book--most likely with the name "New."

Generating and Deciphering the Code

1. Open your word processor and start a new text file. Type in the message you intend to encode.

2. Highlight your message, then change the font to your Pigpen code font. On Word, you can do this by selecting the font from the font drop-down menu, or by choosing "Font" from the "Format" menu and selecting the font there.

3. Make any other finishing touches and print out the cipher.

4. Create a decoder. Draw a tic-tac-toe board (looks like a # symbol) on a piece of paper, and next to it a similarly-sized X. In the top-left cell, write the letters "AB", "CD" in the upper-middle cell, "EF in the upper-right cell and continue in this way until the tic-tac-toe board is filled. The last cell will be "QR". Then move to the X-shape, putting "ST" in the top quadrant, "UV" in the right quadrant, "WX" in the left, and "YZ" in the bottom quadrant.

5. Decode your message. The Pigpen letters are symbols--squares with two to four sides, depending on the cell the letters were in, or two sides of triangles (for the letters in the X-shape). Some of the symbols will have dots in them. The outline of the cell represents the letter from your decoder, and any symbols with dots in them are the second letter in that cell.

   Example: "E" and "F" are the first and second letters in the upper right cell of your tic-tac-toe board. When "E" and "F" are coded into the Pigpen font, an L-shape (it looks like the outline of the upper right corner cell of the tic-tac-toe board) represents "E", and an L-shape with a dot over it represents the second letter, "F".

6. Pass the decoder to your associate. At a separate meeting, pass them the message.

Tips & Warnings

• To get the decoder to your friend, you could make it in an image editor and send it as an attachment. If you made a physical one, pass it to them secretly during a handshake, or organize a "dead drop" in which you hide it somewhere for them to pick up later.

• Make sure the recipient of your message has a decoder of some kind, or is vaguely aware of the code, otherwise they may throw it out as a confusing scrap of paper.

References

• ODR: The Masonic Code Font
• The PC Man: How to Install Windows Fonts