Method
Suppose we have a keyword EMAIL.
- Alphabetize keyword
EMAIL --> AEILM
- Calculate position of each letter in original keyword. So
Ais in position and thus is the first digit
A -> 3
E -> 1
I -> 4
L -> 5
M -> 2
- We get .
If we want to encrypt
MEET ME AT NOON
Then since len("EMAIL") = 5, we encode this as
MEETM
EATNO
ONQXJ
where QXJis junk to fill the last line. This is then encrypted as
EMTME
TENOA
QOXJN
by using . It tells us to use
- 3rd letter,
E - 1st letter,
M - 4th,
T - 5th,
M - 2nd,
E
giving us the ciphertext
EMTMETENOAQOXJN
Examples
Keyword: Zeus
Plaintext: MTSQAGXY
ZEUS -> ESUZ -> 2431
MTSQ -> TQSM
AGXY -> GYXA
Corresponding Ciphertext: TQSMGYXA (B)