Tap Code Translator
This tool encodes A–Z only. K shares the code for C; numbers and punctuation are omitted. Spaces separate words.
Convert text into the covert Tap Code, a simple grid-based cipher used famously by prisoners of war.
Two tap groups identify one letter
Use the row count first and the column count second. H is 2,3 and I is 2,4. A complete HI message therefore contains four tap groups: two taps, three taps, two taps, four taps. Keep a larger boundary between letters than the pause between row and column.
The displayed dot groups are counts of identical taps, not short and long Morse marks. A space in your original input separates words; the display uses wider spacing. For a written puzzle, explicit pairs such as 2,3 | 2,4 are clearer than a long undifferentiated row of dots.
Check what this encoder cannot preserve
The 5×5 grid merges C and K. CAT and KAT have the same coordinates, so a receiver needs spelling context; no decoder can recover the distinction from these counts alone. Digits and punctuation are omitted by this encoder. For ROOM 2, the 2 is not transmitted; spell TWO if your intended puzzle convention calls for letters.
This page encodes text only. To read a received pair, use the row and column in the grid. Test one complete message and its word boundaries with another reader before using a tapping clue.
Worked coordinates
| Text | Pairs | Check |
|---|---|---|
| HI | 2,3 | 2,4 | H then I |
| CAT / KAT | 1,3 | 1,1 | 4,4 | C/K ambiguity |
| OPEN | 3,4 | 3,5 | 1,5 | 3,3 | Four complete letter pairs |