Cipher Challenge
The Misordered Columns
Introduction
Keyed columnar transposition. This method rearranges positions rather than substituting symbols. A writer prepares the text, writes its Transposition Units across a rectangular grid, and copies the physical columns from top to bottom in the order given by a Key. Repeated letters in a keyword receive separate ranks from left to right. To reverse the method, divide the Ciphertext into candidate column segments, place those segments back into physical positions, and read across the rows. The displayed groups of five are presentation only; they do not mark words, rows, columns, or Key width. Ordinary keyed columnar transposition adds no padding or null characters. Classical pencil-and-paper analysis tests possible rectangle dimensions and compares neighboring columns through vowel distribution, common pairs, and longer fragments. The Grid can retain a Solver-chosen arrangement, Pair frequencies can examine selected neighboring sequences, and Reference Sheets provide independent general data. A compatible Grid Result can supply its numeric Column Permutation Key to the Columnar transposition Tool for an explicit test.
| Rows | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| t | i | e | w | p | e | h | r | |
| h | n | g | t | i | h | o | s | |
| m | h | a | a | e | t | h | r | |
| i | h | o | m | m | k | e | o | |
| a | w | d | a | e | w | r | i | |
| k | s | h | e | e | t | s | h | |
| c | o | a | n | i | t | c | o | |
| r | p | d | t | r | e | h | a | |
| a | a | u | S | o | d | i | n | |
| t | e | a | e | t | a | w | s | |
| r | n | g | e | t | n | f | g | |
| i | s | o | e | e | a | e | a |
Read
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tiewp ehrhn gtiho smhaa ethri hommk ,eoaw dae.w riks, heets hcoan itcor pdtre haaau Sodin teaet awsrn getnf gisoe eaeal oerfa osioi gnorn eogla allgt eeeht cmoet daeiu hatld lmenr eel.b eeaap er,na l.eei teedd seonm peuhn t,rld oetcr raroa ehtar ocmtR tnris rioee iracd rohfd eelrt hdeee s.ema tretc ersks tccot iertr ksnao rcaeo ebste eohoh viaes tcdbp otinu auda- lieta tdtni itiai hvtre insoe oopac ,dtra rdenl .pssp er.pd nshne rdrsd eeegt scode yntew tsqss stdde roete ettch cmtst svetu eheao rlpwm slhpd twhev t,ree elnid mnotn aalal auart semee ndnil ytear rtnrn nlomI nrseh noeha rcare nharn dcles tiett nspht mydee eners ,bsqo turki rwtrt onnpe oaetg rushd ulntc crrmb sgall rtcwt gnshc sneis ktrwe nrnnh phcth yndib tuWri heacA oaehe ila.e cdnra ehehf tr.,e lioau etste rdeuf aapoh reoah lh,ee idsaf srate iptie ethha laear nsald rwaea sgcso naitc dpene anete dieap cfeom egclv onate deind aderc spdei ateco ntrnn hiesa eloee sfrlo ettoh uuMla iny.a arntc enkdd .eer, eatao heeer temlt eeahr io.gs eudgs nheha irstc sohjo hogde sehsh isedd iflrw orstv Twait nrsat athrB tbdnf nafoe hne.a grcto reail teeea rtods notmr trtor gtnue enina nossl otdhl tch.h ncebm atelv vnsts i.nsv ilhew resee aettl ,pwms sftid ihiaa dlnst entra ,sres fprod tdouv en.Al hroig idins wSwsu trhno tawTs desst nnfeh mdous oaetv csotu Nwidl ehuga debtv rhl.t eouen erdtt eaent siona ichwe hhewh rfps, tttne eayho agfdl ufsec jTkho khres trocm fgnas neugr asehf hrinh srmed ncdos heewh melah oTiok aeecr raeit ushmS ohena ic.aa evasr ihrMa hemtr sn,br bitte gbhse hunid enare eoeie flagc fghow ttaet aener ieeln deart efeee aseth edaAd ndesw rrdhs ohtsg fyiwv awo.g ottns hgent evrch netma rdosf inhne dvddl saiet funnn eateo nkric nyluh vhceh aafrs im.nr eroas sedpe scsMu petr, deaei bOadl hwpab ,tvaa pdsee aalc, mchea olenr lepwy repse itvdw ennfp rathe ameee dve,a eamss fWieg seplr s.uet maabi bmiha raehc aigvd snnnc bdtbt ihpfa ntn,x iavos nreed phesp aeuih m;fwd tirog Mabih ciera teee, oecey sse,p totte olwab tecde rtwgg egdnh looho steui eaiat brmsw rsneT ksdkn sehns rcbot iiade yaten dnynd syehr seahe sgrii mwcsy lbpoa dlnmm oeido asree csopi eecg. ioatt amtwh rseer acfre iuuhn napwa iohTl d,adr solo—Count overlapping units and compare their distributions.
Data sources
| Rank | Item | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | E | 12.21% |
| 2 | T | 9.14% |
| 3 | A | 8.23% |
| 4 | I | 7.71% |
| 5 | O | 7.38% |
| 6 | N | 7.27% |
| 7 | S | 6.90% |
| 8 | R | 6.31% |
| 9 | H | 4.32% |
| 10 | L | 4.25% |
| 11 | D | 3.72% |
| 12 | C | 3.59% |
| 13 | U | 2.73% |
| 14 | M | 2.59% |
| 15 | P | 2.33% |
| 16 | F | 2.26% |
| 17 | G | 2.01% |
| 18 | Y | 1.65% |
| 19 | B | 1.54% |
| 20 | W | 1.51% |
| 21 | V | 1.07% |
| 22 | K | 0.581% |
| 23 | X | 0.270% |
| 24 | J | 0.159% |
| 25 | Q | 0.142% |
| 26 | Z | 0.130% |