Cryptogram Maker
Type your messages, pick a number, letter, or symbol code, and get a printable cryptogram with an answer key as PDFs in seconds. Free in your browser, no sign-up.
What is a cryptogram maker?
A cryptogram maker turns a sentence into a secret-code puzzle. You type the messages. The tool swaps every letter for a number, another letter, or a shape, using one code for the whole sheet, and puts a decoder at the top. Students work out the code to read each message. It also makes an answer key with every letter written in. Choose how many letters to give away, download the PDFs, and hand it out. Nothing to install, nothing to sign up for.
When do you use a cryptogram?
Whenever students should read closely and think through a puzzle before they get the answer. Three moments where a cryptogram built from your own sentences beats a premade one:
Vocabulary and quotes
Put a vocabulary sentence, a line from the class novel, or a quote from the unit in code. Students decode it letter by letter, so they read every word and spell it. That is closer reading than a matching sheet asks for, and it fits on one page.
Early finishers and sub plans
Keep a few cryptograms in the folder for the student who finishes first, or leave one in the substitute plans. The answer key is its own PDF with every letter written in, so whoever is covering the room can check it in a minute.
Logic and code-breaking lessons
Start with the A = 1, B = 2 code to teach the idea, then move up to a mixed-up code. Students look for common letters and short words to crack it, which makes a good warm-up for a logic or coding unit.
Core features of
a cryptogram maker
A good cryptogram generator takes your sentences and gets a clean coded sheet out the other end. Here is what this one does, from the first message to the printed page.
Type your messages, one per line
Put each message on its own line. You can use up to 10 messages of 160 characters each. All of them share one code, so a single decoder solves the whole sheet. A hint under the box counts your messages and warns you if any are cut short.
- One message on each line
- Up to 10 messages, 160 characters each
- A hint warns when messages are cut short
Four codes to choose from
Pick A = 1, B = 2 for the easiest code, a mixed-up number code, a letter code, or a symbol code. In the letter code, no letter stands for itself. Punctuation and spaces stay as you typed them, so students can use them as clues.
- A = 1, Number, Letter, or Symbol code
- No letter stands for itself
- Punctuation stays as typed
Choose how many letters to give
Set Letters given to All, Some, or None. All prints the full key and leaves the messages blank. Some fills in about a quarter of the letters in use, in the decoder and in the messages. None leaves students to crack the whole code.
- All gives the full key
- Some fills in about a quarter
- None leaves the whole code to solve
An answer key for every puzzle
Switch between the Worksheet and the Answer Key. The worksheet has empty lines under each code, and the key writes in every letter. Press New Code for a different code from the same messages. The decoder lists every code in order, with a box for its letter.
- Empty lines on the worksheet
- Every letter written in on the key
- New Code gives a new code, same messages
Download the PDF or print it
The Worksheet and Answer Key download buttons give you two PDFs. Print sends the sheet to the printer. Choose US Letter or A4, edit the title and directions, and switch the Name and Date row off if you want.
- Two PDFs: the worksheet and the key
- US Letter or A4 paper
- Editable title, directions, and Name and Date row
How to make
a cryptogram
Five steps from a blank page to a stack of secret-code puzzles, and writing the messages is the longest part.
Type your messages
Put one message on each line, or paste a list from a document. The hint under the box shows how many messages are in the same code.
Choose a code
Pick A = 1, B = 2 for younger students, or Number, Letter, or Symbol Code for a mixed-up one. A hint under the menu says what the code does. The directions on the sheet change to match.
Set Letters given
Letters given starts on Some, which fills in a few letters to get students started. Choose All to print the key for decoding practice, or None for a real challenge.
Press New Code if you want another
Press New Code for a different code from the same messages. Switch to Answer Key to check the decoded text. Do it as often as you like.
Download or print
Choose US Letter or A4, then download the Worksheet for the student page and the Answer Key for yours. Or press Print to send the sheet to the printer.
That's the whole cryptogram
Type the messages once and print as many copies as you need. The maker is at the top of this page.
Make a Cryptogram
Get started in under 5 minutes.
Sign up and walk through the onboarding tutorial. By the end you've got your classes set up and you're ready to plan your first lesson. No credit card required.
Get Started for FreeMore than a puzzle template
A premade cryptogram uses someone else's sentences. This one codes yours, puts the decoder on the page, and gives you the key. It runs in any browser, including a locked-down school laptop.
No letter stands for itself
In the letter code, every letter is swapped for a different one, so no coded letter is the same as the letter it hides.
Punctuation stays put
Commas, periods, and spaces print as typed. Students see where each word starts and ends, and use that to crack the code.
A header ready to print
The title reads Secret Code, or Cryptogram for the letter code, and the directions match the code you chose. Edit either one, or switch off the Name and Date row.
US Letter or A4
Pick the paper you print on and the page is laid out for it. The worksheet and the answer key are two separate PDFs.
Your settings are remembered
Your messages and settings stay in this browser, so you can close the tab and pick the same puzzle up later. Nothing is uploaded.
Free, and no watermark
No account, no sign-up, and no logo across the page. The only mark is a small "Made with EMStudio" line in the footer.
Who is the cryptogram maker for?
Anyone who needs a secret-code puzzle built around specific sentences. If a premade puzzle never quite matches what you are teaching, it is for you.
Classroom teachers
Vocabulary sentences, quotes from the unit, and early-finisher fun. Write the messages at your students' reading level, print a copy for every student, and keep the answer key for yourself.
Tutors and homeschool parents
Make a cryptogram from this week's spelling sentences and print it at the kitchen table. Use the A = 1 code and give all the letters to a young learner, or give none to an older child.
Librarians and club leaders
Hide a favorite line from a book, a riddle, or a club motto in code. Print the sheet and set out a stack at the table for visitors to crack.
How EMStudio's cryptogram maker is different
Many cryptogram generators bury the download behind a sign-up, add a logo to the page, or give you no answer key. This one is built by the team behind a full teacher planner, and it treats a puzzle as part of your lesson.
Free, with nothing held back
The full PDF, the answer key, both paper sizes, and printing, all without an account or a daily limit. The only mark on the page is a small "Made with EMStudio" footer line.
Your sentences, not a stock list
You write the messages, so the puzzle covers what you taught, at the reading level of your class. The maker builds the code, the decoder, and the key.
Part of a full teacher planner
A puzzle is one small part of a lesson. When you are ready, EMStudio's lesson planner holds the rest: every class's lessons on a weekly calendar, beside your students, grades, and attendance.
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