Rail Fence Cipher
Encrypt or decrypt text with the classic zigzag Rail Fence transposition cipher.
Input
Output
The Rail Fence cipher writes your message in a zigzag across a chosen number of rails, then reads it off row by row to scramble the letter order. Adjust the rail count and switch between encrypt and decrypt — everything runs locally in your browser.
How to use
- Set the number of rails (zigzag rows).
- Choose Encrypt or Decrypt.
- Type your text and copy the transformed result.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Rail Fence cipher secure?
- No, it's a simple classical transposition cipher easily broken by trying all rail counts; it's useful for learning cryptography basics or puzzles, not real security.
- What happens with 2 rails?
- With 2 rails, the cipher simply splits the message into every-other-letter and interleaves them; more rails create a more zigzagged pattern.
- Do spaces and punctuation get scrambled too?
- Yes, every character including spaces and punctuation is placed on the zigzag, so decoding restores the exact original text.