Did you know?
Julius Caesar, a ruler of ancient Rome, hid his messages by shifting each letter three places along the alphabet, so A became D. This secret code is now called the Caesar cipher.
SOS, the famous call for help, doesn't stand for 'Save Our Souls'. It was chosen because it is so easy to send in Morse code: three dots, three dashes, three dots.
Louis Braille was only 15 when he created braille, a code of raised dots that lets people who are blind read with their fingertips. Each letter fits in a cell of six dots.
Try this: Shift it back!
Each letter of this secret word was moved 2 places forward in the alphabet: O C P I Q. To decode it, move each letter 2 places back, so O becomes M. What is the fruity word? Now write a secret message for a friend using your own shift number, and tell them the number!
Show answer
MANGO
Go further: Talk in Morse code
Morse code turns letters into short and long signals, called dots and dashes. Letters used often got the shortest codes: E, the most common letter in English, is a single dot, and T is a single dash. You can send Morse by tapping on a table, flashing a torch or even blinking! Find a Morse chart and try tapping your name to a friend.