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.
Live gridCurrent
Live column keyUnavailable
| 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
tiewpehrhngtihosmhaaethrihommkeoawdaewriksheetshcoanitcorpdtrehaaauSodinteaetawsrngetnfgisoeeaeati hn mh ih aw ks co rp aa te rn is1
tiewp ehrhn gtiho smhaa ethri
26
hommk ,eoaw dae.w riks, heets
51
hcoan itcor pdtre haaau Sodin
76
teaet awsrn getnf gisoe eaeal
101
oerfa osioi gnorn eogla allgt
126
eeeht cmoet daeiu hatld lmenr
151
eel.b eeaap er,na l.eei teedd
176
seonm peuhn t,rld oetcr raroa
201
ehtar ocmtR tnris rioee iracd
226
rohfd eelrt hdeee s.ema tretc
251
ersks tccot iertr ksnao rcaeo
276
ebste eohoh viaes tcdbp otinu
301
auda- lieta tdtni itiai hvtre
326
insoe oopac ,dtra rdenl .pssp
351
er.pd nshne rdrsd eeegt scode
376
yntew tsqss stdde roete ettch
401
cmtst svetu eheao rlpwm slhpd
426
twhev t,ree elnid mnotn aalal
451
auart semee ndnil ytear rtnrn
476
nlomI nrseh noeha rcare nharn
501
dcles tiett nspht mydee eners
526
,bsqo turki rwtrt onnpe oaetg
551
rushd ulntc crrmb sgall rtcwt
576
gnshc sneis ktrwe nrnnh phcth
601
yndib tuWri heacA oaehe ila.e
626
cdnra ehehf tr.,e lioau etste
651
rdeuf aapoh reoah lh,ee idsaf
676
srate iptie ethha laear nsald
701
rwaea sgcso naitc dpene anete
726
dieap cfeom egclv onate deind
751
aderc spdei ateco ntrnn hiesa
776
eloee sfrlo ettoh uuMla iny.a
801
arntc enkdd .eer, eatao heeer
826
temlt eeahr io.gs eudgs nheha
851
irstc sohjo hogde sehsh isedd
876
iflrw orstv Twait nrsat athrB
901
tbdnf nafoe hne.a grcto reail
926
teeea rtods notmr trtor gtnue
951
enina nossl otdhl tch.h ncebm
976
atelv vnsts i.nsv ilhew resee
1001
aettl ,pwms sftid ihiaa dlnst
1026
entra ,sres fprod tdouv en.Al
1051
hroig idins wSwsu trhno tawTs
1076
desst nnfeh mdous oaetv csotu
1101
Nwidl ehuga debtv rhl.t eouen
1126
erdtt eaent siona ichwe hhewh
1151
rfps, tttne eayho agfdl ufsec
1176
jTkho khres trocm fgnas neugr
1201
asehf hrinh srmed ncdos heewh
1226
melah oTiok aeecr raeit ushmS
1251
ohena ic.aa evasr ihrMa hemtr
1276
sn,br bitte gbhse hunid enare
1301
eoeie flagc fghow ttaet aener
1326
ieeln deart efeee aseth edaAd
1351
ndesw rrdhs ohtsg fyiwv awo.g
1376
ottns hgent evrch netma rdosf
1401
inhne dvddl saiet funnn eateo
1426
nkric nyluh vhceh aafrs im.nr
1451
eroas sedpe scsMu petr, deaei
1476
bOadl hwpab ,tvaa pdsee aalc,
1501
mchea olenr lepwy repse itvdw
1526
ennfp rathe ameee dve,a eamss
1551
fWieg seplr s.uet maabi bmiha
1576
raehc aigvd snnnc bdtbt ihpfa
1601
ntn,x iavos nreed phesp aeuih
1626
m;fwd tirog Mabih ciera teee,
1651
oecey sse,p totte olwab tecde
1676
rtwgg egdnh looho steui eaiat
1701
brmsw rsneT ksdkn sehns rcbot
1726
iiade yaten dnynd syehr seahe
1751
sgrii mwcsy lbpoa dlnmm oeido
1776
asree csopi eecg. ioatt amtwh
1801
rseer acfre iuuhn napwa iohTl
1826
d,adr solo
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—Live output1,833 adjacent pairs
| Pair | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
EE | 48 | 2.6% |
EA | 28 | 1.5% |
TE | 28 | 1.5% |
AE | 26 | 1.4% |
ET | 26 | 1.4% |
EH | 22 | 1.2% |
DE | 20 | 1.1% |
EN | 20 | 1.1% |
SE | 19 | 1.0% |
ER | 18 | 1.0% |
HE | 18 | 1.0% |
RE | 17 | 0.9% |
Count overlapping units and compare their distributions.
Live output1,789 overlapping units
| Unit | Count | Share | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| E | 270 | 15.1% | 1 |
| T | 162 | 9.1% | 2 |
| A | 159 | 8.9% | 3 |
| R | 130 | 7.3% | 4 |
| S | 127 | 7.1% | 5 |
| N | 122 | 6.8% | 6 |
| H | 109 | 6.1% | 7 |
| O | 104 | 5.8% | 8 |
| I | 97 | 5.4% | 9 |
| D | 91 | 5.1% | 10 |
| L | 61 | 3.4% | 11 |
| C | 59 | 3.3% | 12 |
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% |
A columnar keyword must contain 2–25 ASCII letters only.