This Scytale tool arranges your message in a grid. Set Columns to the number of letters you want in each row, write from left to right, then read down each column in turn. The setting describes the grid width, rather than the diameter of a physical rod.
Check the text going into the grid
The grid uses A–Z letters, so spaces and punctuation are removed before encoding. Your original message stays on screen beside the prepared input. Empty cells in the final row remain empty; no X padding is added, and decoding does not restore removed formatting.
Three letters per row
MEETATNOONcolumns = 3; write rows; read columns; no paddingMTNNEAOETO| Row | Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | M | E | E |
| 2 | T | A | T |
| 3 | N | O | O |
| 4 | N | — | — |
The columns read MTNN, EAO, ETO. Joining them gives MTNNEAOETO.
Decode with the same width
Use the same column count to decode. Ten letters across three columns give column lengths of 4, 3, and 3. Put the ciphertext back into columns of those lengths, then read across the rows to recover MEETATNOON.
Try one yourself
Encode ABCDEFG with columns = 3. What happens to the two unused cells in the final row?