A symbol cipher replaces each letter with a mark — a shape, a pattern of dots, a pair of flags. Nothing is scrambled and nothing is shifted, so once you have the key you can read the message straight off.
You can see at a glance that it isn't letters. That is the whole tell, and it is also why these are the friendliest ciphers to learn: the difficulty is looking the marks up, not reasoning about them.
Tap Code Count the taps: the first group is the row, the second is the column. C and K share a cell.
Tap Code is unsolvable without its square, so it is part of the puzzle rather than a hint — every daily cipher of this kind prints one alongside the message.
| A | B | C | D | E |
| F | G | H | I | J |
| L | M | N | O | P |
| Q | R | S | T | U |
| V | W | X | Y | Z |
TREASURE MAP
5×5 · C=K
•••• •••• / •••• •• / • ••••• / • • / •••• ••• / •••• ••••• / •••• •• / • ••••• // ••• •• / • • / ••• •••••
Each letter has become a mark. Nothing is scrambled and nothing is shifted: find the key to the symbols and you can read it straight off. This one is Tap Code. The key: 5×5 · C=K. Count the taps: the first group is the row, the second is the column. C and K share a cell. Match the first three marks against the key and they resolve to T R E. The answer was TREASURE MAP.
Work with the alphabet table below open in front of you. Copy the marks out in order first and translate second — most mistakes on a symbol cipher are transcription mistakes, not decoding ones.
One a day, three guesses, and a streak that breaks the moment you miss one. Today’s is cipher #1.