Cipher methods Symbols
Circular Glyphs
Circular Glyphs form an occult-graphic alphabet in which each character is drawn inside a circle (or ring) with distinct bars, dots and inner arcs. The inspiration is clear: the astronomical and sigillary notations of the Renaissance, popularised by astrology manuals (Marsilio Ficino, Cornelius Agrippa) and the engraved plates of the 16th-17th centuries.
The modern alphabet is distributed on the dCode platform in the Cipher Tools / Symbols section. It covers the 26 Latin letters + 10 digits, which makes it complete for alphanumeric messages (postcodes, dates, serial numbers). The “round and engraved” look brings it visually close to esoteric sigils and old clocks.
How does the alphabet work?
The cipher relies on a monoalphabetic substitution: each cleartext character (letter or digit) is replaced by a fixed circular glyph. Same mechanic as the Caesar cipher (~50 BC): a 1↔1 table between input and output symbols.
The table holds 36 distinct circles (26 letters + 10 digits). Each circle is differentiated by the position and number of inner bars, dots and arcs; reading requires memorising the mapping or keeping the table at hand.
Cryptographic strength: low. No polyalphabetism: a letter always maps to the same circle, which makes frequency analysis trivially applicable. The alphabet is valued for its mystical look in an escape room, a fantasy setting or a book cover.
Historical and modern usage
- dCode cryptopuzzles — Symbols section.
- Fantasy settings — “sigil” rendering for fictional grimoires.
- Escape rooms — clock decor, observatory dial, grimoire.
- Graphic design — experimental typography inspired by Renaissance plates.
Related variants
- Magi (Magicians’ alphabet) — see our entry, another esoteric alphabet.
- Celestial alphabet — see our entry, an astrological alphabet.
- Enochian — see our entry, an angelic invocation alphabet.
What are the weaknesses?
- Monoalphabetic substitution — frequency analysis is immediate.
- Close-looking glyphs — a few circles differ only by a small detail (reading-error risk).
- Public table — available on dCode.
The 36 glyphs
