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Tic-Tac-Toe Cipher

Tool to code / decode with the Tic-Tac-Toe cipher. The Tic-Tac-Toe code is a grid cipher, using symbols from the famous game Tic-Tac-Toe (or noughts and crosses or Xs and Os)

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Tic-Tac-Toe Cipher -

Tag(s) : Symbol Substitution

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Tic-Tac-Toe Cipher

Tic-Tac-Toe Decoder

See also: Pigpen Cipher

Tic-Tac-Toe Encoder

 

Answers to Questions (FAQ)

What is the Tic-Tac-Toe cipher? (Definition)

Tic-Tac-Toe, also known as noughts and crosses or oxo, is a simple strategy game played on a 3x3 grid. This grid structure is used as a visual basis to build a coding system using symbols derived from the game.

How to encrypt using the Tic-Tac-Toe cipher?

The grid is made up of 2 vertical lines and 2 horizontal lines forming 9 distinct spaces, similar to a larger # (hash) symbol.

The first 9 letters of the alphabet are placed in this grid, then the next 9 are marked with crosses, and the last 8 with circles.

Example:

Achar(65)Bchar(66)Cchar(67)
Dchar(68)Echar(69)Fchar(70)
Gchar(71)Hchar(72)Ichar(73)
Jchar(74)Kchar(75)Lchar(76)
Mchar(77)Nchar(78)Ochar(79)
Pchar(80)Qchar(81)Rchar(82)
Schar(83)Tchar(84)Uchar(85)
Vchar(86)Wchar(87)Xchar(88)
Ychar(89)Zchar(90)
dCode.fr

The last cell with a circle char(95) can be used for another purpose, such as a spacing character.

Each letter is represented by a symbol describing its position in the grid: 2 to 4 line segments indicate the cell position, and a dot indicates the letter group.

How to decrypt a Tic-Tac-Toe cipher?

Decryption consists of performing the reverse operation of encryption. The user must have access to the grid(s) used to match symbols to letters.

Each symbol is analyzed based on its shape (line segments indicating a position in the grid) and the presence or absence of a marker (none, circle, or cross).

By identifying the corresponding cell in the grid, the user retrieves the associated letter.

Example: char(84)char(73)char(67)char(84)char(65)char(67)char(84)char(79)char(69) translates to TICTACTOE

How to recognize a Tic-Tac-Toe ciphertext?

The symbols are very similar and resemble a Tic-Tac-Toe grid, with right angles, 2 to 4 perpendicular lines sometimes accompanied by a circle or cross in the center.

This cipher can be confused with the Pigpen cipher, of which it is a variant.

Source code

dCode retains ownership of the "Tic-Tac-Toe Cipher" source code. Any algorithm for the "Tic-Tac-Toe Cipher" algorithm, applet or snippet or script (converter, solver, encryption / decryption, encoding / decoding, ciphering / deciphering, breaker, translator), or any "Tic-Tac-Toe Cipher" functions (calculate, convert, solve, decrypt / encrypt, decipher / cipher, decode / encode, translate) written in any informatic language (Python, Java, PHP, C#, Javascript, Matlab, etc.) or any database download or API access for "Tic-Tac-Toe Cipher" or any other element are not public (except explicit open source licence). Same with the download for offline use on PC, mobile, tablet, iPhone or Android app.
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In a scientific article or book, the recommended bibliographic citation is: Tic-Tac-Toe Cipher on dCode.fr [online website], retrieved on 2026-05-20, https://www.dcode.fr/tic-tac-toe-cipher

Need Help ?

Please, check our dCode Discord community for help requests!
NB: for encrypted messages, test our automatic cipher identifier!

Questions / Comments

Feedback and suggestions are welcome so that dCode offers the best 'Tic-Tac-Toe Cipher' tool for free! Thank you!


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