Atbash Cipher Worksheet
Mirror the alphabet: A=Z, B=Y, C=X, and so on
- Grades 4–8
- 20 minutes
- Intermediate
- 8 exercises
- Answer key included
The Atbash cipher is one of the oldest known substitution ciphers — it simply mirrors the alphabet, so A swaps with Z, B with Y, and so on. Because it is its own inverse, students encode and decode with the same key, which makes it a great first cipher. Print the student PDF and the answer key below, or work through the exercises on this page.
Printable PDF — free to download & print
How to use this worksheet
The Atbash cipher flips the alphabet: A becomes Z, B becomes Y, C becomes X, and so on. It is its own reverse — encoding twice returns the original. Encode or decode each item using the mirror key.
Exercises
- 1. Encode the word: CAT
- 2. Encode the word: DOG
- 3. Encode the word: HELLO
- 4. Encode the word: SECRET
- 5. Decode: GVHG
- 6. Decode: SZKKB
- 7. Decode: WLT
- 8. Decode the secret message: HVXIVG NVHHZTV
Full solutions are on the downloadable answer key (PDF).