Atbash Cipher
Mirror the alphabet so A↔Z, B↔Y, C↔X and so on.
Difficulty: Beginner
How it works
- Write the alphabet forwards (A to Z) and then write it backwards underneath (Z to A). This creates a mirror mapping.
- Every A in the message becomes Z, B becomes Y, C becomes X, and so on down the line.
- The same operation both encrypts and decrypts. If you Atbash a message twice, you return to the original text.
- Spaces, digits and punctuation marks are usually left unchanged, which keeps sentences readable.
- Use Atbash to practise the idea of a substitution cipher where the mapping is fixed and symmetric.
Press Shift + Enter
What is it?
The Atbash Cipher is an ancient Hebrew substitution cipher. It operates by mapping the alphabet to its reverse, meaning the first letter becomes the last, the second becomes the second to last, and so on. Originally used to encrypt the Hebrew alphabet (Aleph to Tav, hence Atbash), it is a specific case of an affine cipher. Because it has only one possible key (the reversed alphabet), it provides zero cryptographic security today, but it remains a fascinating historical artifact of early obfuscation techniques.
Try it yourself
Manual Solver
Can you decrypt this challenge?
SVOOL DLIOW
Standard Alphabet
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
Mirrored Alphabet
Z
Y
X
W
V
U
T
S
R
Q
P
O
N
M
L
K
J
I
H
G
F
E
D
C
B
A
Where this shows up today
To obfuscate religious or politically sensitive texts.