What is the Knights Templar cipher?

It is a pigpen-style substitution cipher attributed to the Knights Templar, in which letters are written into the segments of a Maltese cross. The shape of the segment encodes the letter, much like the grid in ordinary pigpen.

Why do some letters need a dot?

There are more letters than convenient cross segments, so some segments hold two letters. A dot is added to the symbol to mark the second letter sharing that segment, exactly as dots distinguish letters in classic pigpen.

How do I read a Templar symbol?

Identify which arm or centre segment of the cross the lines describe, then check for a dot. No dot means the first letter assigned to that segment; a dot means the second.

Is the Templar cipher secure?

No. It is a fixed monoalphabetic substitution, so anyone who knows the cross layout can decode it instantly. It served as a private notation and a symbol of the order, not as strong encryption.

Is my text uploaded anywhere?

No. Encoding happens entirely in your browser and nothing is sent to any server.

Knights Templar Cipher (Maltese Cross)

The Knights Templar cipher is a pigpen-style substitution cipher built on the Maltese cross. Letters are placed into the segments of the cross, and the shape of each segment stands in for a letter. Because the alphabet has more letters than there are convenient segments, some segments hold two letters distinguished by a small dot. This tool converts text into that cell-and-dot notation, all in your browser.

How it works

The 26 letters are distributed across the cross’s segments, two letters per segment for the first 24 letters (twelve segments) and the remaining letters filling the last cells. Within any shared segment, the first letter is drawn plain and the second carries a dot — the same trick classic pigpen uses to double the number of symbols a grid can represent.

To encode a letter you find its segment and note whether it is the first or second letter there. The lines of the segment shape are the same for both; only the dot differs.

Tips and example

Encoding CROSS:

C → segment 2, plain
R → segment 9, dotted
O → segment 8, plain
S → segment 10, plain
S → segment 10, plain

When drawing by hand, sketch the cross-arm lines for the segment and add a dot only for second letters. The text notation here (such as 2 9. 8 10 10, where a trailing dot marks the dotted variant) records the same information. Because the layout is fixed and keyless, treat the Templar cipher as a historical curiosity and puzzle, not as real security.