Dancing Men Cipher
Encode and decode the Dancing Men cipher from Sherlock Holmes. Each letter is a stick figure pose.
Symbol Reference
Click a symbol to add it to your input
About the Dancing Men
The Dancing Men cipher appears in Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of the Dancing Men" (1903). In the story, messages are written using stick figures in various poses, with flags indicating word endings.
Note: This tool uses emojis to represent the dancing men symbols. The original cipher used unique stick figure drawings. For authentic puzzles, you may need to reference images of the original symbols.
What is the Dancing Men Cipher?
The Dancing Men cipher is a substitution cipher featured in Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of the Dancing Men" (1903). Each letter is represented by a stick figure in a unique pose.
The Story
In the story, a man receives threatening messages written in strange symbols that look like dancing stick figures. Sherlock Holmes cracks the code using frequency analysis, recognizing that the most common symbol must represent the letter E.
How It Works
Basic Cipher
Each letter A-Z has a unique stick figure pose. The figures are drawn in a row to spell out messages.
Word Endings
In the original, a small flag on a figure indicates the end of a word. This helps separate words without using spaces.
Dancing Men in Geocaching
This cipher is popular in puzzles because:
- Visual appeal: The figures make interesting puzzle graphics
- Literary connection: Sherlock Holmes theme
- Recognizable: Many people know the story
- Simple substitution: Can be solved with frequency analysis
Solving Dancing Men
Like any substitution cipher:
- Count symbols: Most common is likely E
- Look for patterns: Short words, double letters
- Word endings: Flags help identify word boundaries
- Common words: THE, AND, IS are good starting points