Thread: Secret codes, languages, and ciphers.

So, I've always enjoyd things like riddles, codes, secret languages etc.

One of the most well known examples is pig latin. A simple set of rules that is easy to learn, yet it's extremely effective if used around someone who doesn't know the rules.

So, what's your favorite secret language, code, cipher etc? Also, include a example of it and the way it works.

Easy start. Pig Latin.
There are variations, but this is the version I knew as a kid.

Take the first letter or first few letters (depending on the word), and put it at the end of the word and add "ey" to the very end.

Example: Igpey Atinley (Pig Latin). Ymey ame-ney is indmeyadererwey (My name is Mindwanderer).

Generally, you keep small words the same... depending on the word. "Is" stays the same, "and" stays the same"... but words like your, you, my, cat, and red (and more) you can change them. Also, some long words (doorway, mindwanderer, skyscraper) can be broken into to parts. For example, skyscraper can become "kysey aperscrey" or "kysey crapersey".

Hopefully you kinda get it, most people learned it as a kid anyways.

So what are some secret languages, codes, and ciphers you know? I'm going to apost a few original ones.

Also, if you like... you can post the "solution" or "key" to them after... so that you can see if people can solve them. It's funner that way. And if you solve it, post the answer in a spoiler tag incase anyone else wants to solve it too.

While not spoken, Numerology is one of my all time favorites... especially for creating passwords and such.
You work with 9 numbers and each letter in the alphabet goes with one number
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
A B C D E F G H I
J K L M N O P Q R
S T U V W X Y Z

Writing my name in Numerology, then, it would be:
8817395
If you mix numerology up with some words, you get a pretty strong password.
For example: Password hint could be: Spring Morning.
The answer could be: 17993Dawn (April Dawn)

Yes! And you can make them as complex as you'd like, and even have custom solution keys!

A couple codes that I messed around with a bit in school are collaborations between me and a couple friends.

The first is like this. Each number is whatever it is on the list. 1-9 for the first two, 1-8 for the third (26 letters in the alphabet).
* = (A->I)
+ = (I->A)
' = (I->Q)
- = (Q->I)
, = (R->Z)
_ = (Z->R)

*85'4-6'7= Hello.

There are two lists for every 'section' of alphabet to avoid doubles. We'd have two symbols for every section, and one symbol would be normal (a=1 b=2 c=3) and then the other would simply be reversed (c=1 b=2 a=3) so that if we had doubles (Hello is a good example) we'd just use the reverse list.

Granted, we didn't use those symbols... we had our own little symbols (which I forget). Anyways, the code worked well. And it's simple to use. We had the lists memorized (which letter was which number) but you could just as easily carry the 'formula' on a piece of paper.

edit: Here's a diagram if you don't get it.

*
a b c d e f g h i = 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

+
i h g f e d c b a = 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

And you just put the symbol in front so you know which list to use... and if you have two letters from the same list just put the symbol once... for an example see "Hello" above. H and e are on the same list... so one symbol is used. But in the case of the same letter twice like an L following another l... you want to avoid doubles so you'd use the reverse list.

I have about 10 different alphabets I've made. A few of the first ones I lost the key. So I have a random sentence on a piece of paper and that's all I have. I have ones that use Arabic, Japanese, and Hebrew characters/ letters. Can't find the Hebrew one though. The Japanese one is pretty fun. It's written from top to bottom and there're other characters you write by characters to denote short/ long vowels or a space. Of course there are multiple characters to denote the same thing, so it's not obvious

I have one that looks like Finnish

I was working on trying to rememeber once I've made recently, but I guess I never wrote it down, or have lost the key, but I was able to reconstruct it sort of from what I could best remember, but still can't get it to work out quite right

The others don't really look like anything, just w/e letters I felt like using

I did have one where you type using the key to the right/ left of the actual key you want (which plm/ qaz would wrap over respectively qaz/ plm). Ex (going to the right): yjr wiovl ntpem gpc kuzqrf pbrt yjr asxu fph. (The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog). The code I've been working on used something similar

I started developing a 'language' that made use of intervals (the spaces inbetween sounds) as opposed to the sounds themselves. I got it going pretty good, and it was handy because you could use any letter, number symbol, sound or anything and it didn't matter. It was basically a language where you read what isn't there, as opposed to what is there. Unfortunately I've mostly forgotten the language.... but it'd be interesting to try and figure it out and get it up and running again.

One that I've thought of goes like so:

Originally Posted by Key

A B C ... Z
1 2 3 ... 26

HELLO -> 8, 5, 12, 12, 15

This would be very easy to crack. What you can do is move the key to the right, say by 3 (bringing numbers above 26 back around):

8+3, 5+3, 12+3, 12+3, 15+3 -> 11, 8, 15, 15, 18

Then... you could do the same but add another 2 for each character's distance from the first character (again, bringing numbers above 26 back around):

11, 8+2*1, 15+2*2, 15+2*3, 18+2*4 -> 11, 10, 19, 21, 26

Then... take the number codes and convert them back into letters:

11, 10, 19, 21, 26 -> KJTVZ -> HELLO

Of course, this isn't practical to do by hand, but by computer

Ahhh, now THOSE kinds of codes :love:
I worked on one over a period of about 10 years. It grew it be of about 350,000 characters and was made up of basic symbols to entire phrases, names, words and word combinations as well as numbers and number combinations. It was my passion and my obsession...
Until I had children and my oldest son got into my book and destroyed a few pages. I didn't have the heart to try to remember what they were or recreate them.

Here are a couple when the code was still young:



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Because of the repetition, they would be easy to crack, which is why my code grew so much. I wanted to create an unbreakable code.

I like stuff that incorporates prime numbers. -3-

That's pretty cool looking. It looks almost a little alien like

I had one written down in some class notes from last semester, but I think I threw them out

And maybe I'll put up a few of mine later

I'm glad to see other people are interested in this stuff. Nobody that I know in person is anywhere close to being interested in this kind of stuff! Thanks again internet!

Anyways, I'm thinking I should start work on a new one. It'll be pretty basic, but it'll only be crackable with a cipher... and the cipher itself will need to be decrypted.

If I get it functional I'll scan it, upload it here... and see if anyone can crack it!

Thanks Armistice

Yeah, people thought I was weird in school My code started as a means to keep my mom from reading my diary lol

I look forward to seeing what other people have come up with.

Raod od raääoooolloee kkiikola kigää rasr o mitkääg il. Raääooif, küok, ntiml, püjeääf iväät raäägih, kksfö.

So, that's the one I made that looks Finnish. Man, my one rule I have sucks when describing something, haha

And all I have of this one:

Ïyw vïêw Düåwyr Çüerïêt

I had a really fun one that I've used, and uses all sorts of latin letters and such, but it's been lost. I have another 3-4 I could write down, but they all look similar and look a little like the one I just put, no so point of writting it here. If I get around to getting pics, I'll put up my Jabanese, Arabic, and alien-looking ones

Armistice... no offence. But that first 'language' in your post looks borderline made up. With all the quadrupel "A"s and "O"s and the double consonants like kk and nt.

Do you mind explaining to us the premise of this code? And tell us what it says, and how it translates?

Here's a picture of a simple code I just made.

It's really simple, but I'll see if antyone can figure it out.

edit: @Armistice. You don't have to explain the whole thing either, just what it says... the jist of how you translate. Maybe your alphabet... just simple things like that. Because to me it looks like you just kind of BSed a language... which would work to your advantage if it is infact a real functioning language.

Klieoustic nfuetl jeetsl lhend frekt

See... it's easy to bullshit a language. Just throw in some accents like yours and BAM! You've got a "Secret language". And I'm not saying you DID bullshit... I'm just saying you may have. And if it is in fact a full functioning language then I admire you.

Very cool!

I'm very good at creating languages, but I suck at decoding them lol

Uhh... well, my friend and I made a code as part of a concept for a written "languge" which relayed and directed letters based on symbols written above other letters. So it is like following directions to find the order of each letter. I can't post it here, we don't want people to find out...

We've also made a spoken conlang... something everyone does at one point. Its not a cipher or code, but its over 64 words now and we speak it fluently. Completely uncrackable.

Originally Posted by mindwanderer

Armistice... no offence. But that first 'language' in your post looks borderline made up. With all the quadrupel "A"s and "O"s and the double consonants like kk and nt.

Do you mind explaining to us the premise of this code? And tell us what it says, and how it translates?
edit: @Armistice. You don't have to explain the whole thing either, just what it says... the jist of how you translate. Maybe your alphabet... just simple things like that. Because to me it looks like you just kind of BSed a language... which would work to your advantage if it is infact a real functioning language.

The basis of the code is Finnish. Finn has a lot of double consenents and vowels. Lyrics to a Korpiklaani song

Me veriset äpäräiset,
ihtiriekit ikeväiset,
korven karkien kätköissä
matkammiestä metsästämme.

Oli isällämme tuuria,
tuuria vahingoksi äidin,
äidon kantavaksi saatetun,
saatetun, häpiäksi kaikkien.

I never said it was perfect, but my bet was anyone who'd seen Finnish would see mine and think "that looks like Finnish". It could maybe be passed of as a dialect (as some dialects are pretty gnarly. Check out the dialect of southern Germany, Byrisch. Doesn't really look or sound like German, but it is German... just a dialect.)

The jist of the first sentence is jsut saying something like "my secret language is supposed to look like Finnish"

Because Finnish seems to have lots of long words, I've decided that articles are part of the nouns. "the couch" is "thecouch", and same with "a"... "acouch". The problem I came across is when describing a noun. "Look at the large, blue, comfy couch in my living room" The article and noun still stay together and have decided that the describing words come after it, so it would be "Look at thecouch, large, blue, comfy, in my living room"

Some double letters, "oo" "kk" "ää" are actually one letter. "C" and "q" are left out and substituted with their respective sounds "s/k" and "kw". Irinically, "x" is left because I just can't be arsed with "eks", lol. It does get weird if I have the letters that make "oo" and "o" or "kk" and "k" are next to each other though, lol. That quad "o" in the 3rd word is a misspelling, and should be "Raääooolloee"... an "oo" "o" combo together like I said

It can use some tweaking and perfecting, but it's as far as I got (when I made it prob 3yrs ago) and never really used it enough to tweak it so it looks better

But look at some African languages, or older dead dialects/ languages and some look made up as well. Granted if you can pass them off as another language, someone would be less inclined to try to crack it

Originally Posted by Armistice

Because Finnish seems to have lots of long words, I've decided that articles are part of the nouns. "the couch" is "thecouch", and same with "a"... "acouch". The problem I came across is when describing a noun. "Look at the large, blue, comfy couch in my living room" The article and noun still stay together and have decided that the describing words come after it, so it would be "Look at thecouch, large, blue, comfy, in my living room"

Katso isoa sinistä kodikasta sohvaani olohuoneessa

Lookatthe large blue comfy couch inmylivingroom

I've never really studied any codes at all... I wonder if anybody can get this. I'm not sure how obvious it is... the long trail of 0s is definitely a big giveaway.

36465187500000000000000000

Kinda neat how you can ascribe every possible sentence ever a unique number. The way I've chosen is very wasteful... I guess the optimum bijection would give me

249916.

5162314131 8121 63 91 52 9131, 91639261 13717192`1

You should read this book if you're interested by codes and ciphers. It's a really interesting read. Goes into both the technical details of codes and how they were cracked, as well as the history. The author's a pretty cool guy too.

Lel rard yol?
Ti sula 1 habu dit, ni 1 habu quad-wit. O sula lmopla borum yol sepos abo moth maurys. O rard uhfboo, ot. Yol mork O vom.

@Armistice

Wow, that's sweet. You had me stumped.

I am familiar with finnish, and many languages... but no language I've seen has as many doubles triples and quadrupels as yours.... not even Finnish! So well done! You really should refine it. It looks like you've already put considerable effort into it, why not "finnish" it! Bad pun, sorry.

edit: In the lyrics you posted I found a total of seven places where there is double consonents or double vowels. It had no triples, let alone quadrupels. Your's, however, had 10! And that isn't including aääoooo, aääooi, eää, aää or the most interesting one "kksf". Also, your's is 1/4 of the size... if not smaller!

I'm still not completely sold on your language. I'd like to hear more about in more detail. Maybe see exactly how you translate what you wrote into "my secret language is supposed to look like Finnish"... just for 'reference'.

edit:

Also, only post codes that can be broken without a cipher... otherwise it's useless. I'm going to trust tha the few that have been posted without any explanation are crackable without a cipher.

Originally Posted by mindwanderer

Also, only post codes that can be broken without a cipher...

NEVAR!

Lol. Or at least say it's unrackable so people don't waste their time!

Originally Posted by mindwanderer

@Armistice

Wow, that's sweet. You had me stumped.

I am familiar with finnish, and many languages... but no language I've seen has as many doubles triples and quadrupels as yours.... not even Finnish! So well done! You really should refine it. It looks like you've already put considerable effort into it, why not "finnish" it! Bad pun, sorry.

edit: In the lyrics you posted I found a total of seven places where there is double consonents or double vowels. It had no triples, let alone quadrupels. Your's, however, had 10! And that isn't including aääoooo, aääooi, eää, aää or the most interesting one "kksf". Also, your's is 1/4 of the size... if not smaller!

I'm still not completely sold on your language. I'd like to hear more about in more detail. Maybe see exactly how you translate what you wrote into "my secret language is supposed to look like Finnish"... just for 'reference'.

I like the pun, lol

It's hard to avoid the triple letters. Even though I do have a chart of the letters in English that show which letters are used most, I just can't really predict what letters will end up next to what. I would have to start over from scratch and make sure that letters like "k" and "kk" (and the like) would be at opposite ends of the chart

As for the lyrics, that was one of the better examples. I assumed most people see Finnish and see the "ää" and "kk", as I did, and would see mine and think the same, regardless of word length and such. Similar to if you make some low sounding noises with some "lugie hocking" it's German sounding, lol

Again, it's not perfect, but it's jsut for fun. To make something look close to Finnish, or any language that looks screwed up like that (using Latin characters) would take a lot of "R&D" per say to get it to look convincing

The details are pretty much what I said in my last post. "the/acouch", "thecouch, long, blue, is in my living room". I could probably find ways to add more words together, but I don't care that much. I shared it to share, not reinvent it, lol

And sorry, I never translate the codes for anyone. Only one person has shared a code with me because I made it for us. Only one I've shared is when you type using the letters to the left/ right/ above/ below the letter you mean. Armistice= Lenuaruxw/ Stzodyovr... the above/ below is a combo one actually(qwerty- down+ ' , asdf, zxcv- up) : Qfjk'wg'k'dd' (eh) those are respecitvely to the aformentioned order