Lexical Almanac: Cipher School, a Radio Word Game

About Lexical Almanac: Cipher School

It is a stormy night and the radio station is running its Cipher School on the air. Each of the six broadcasts teaches one way a button changes its letter after every word you find: two steps along the alphabet, the alphabet in a mirror, the vowel wheel, thirteen on (which undoes itself), three back, and finally the station test with no cipher at all.

Every broadcast has three beats. The announcer reads the rule. A rehearsal on a tiny grid asks you for one word and lets you watch the change happen where you know what to expect. Then comes the test on a fresh grid. Pass it without a tune-in, the hint, and the ON AIR lamp lights, the storm eases and the station signs on. With a tune-in you still finish, but the broadcast comes round again.

Drag across touching buttons, tap them one by one, steer with the arrow keys, or type the word. A broadcast takes about five minutes. A daily broadcast is the same for everyone. Your records are kept on this device only; nothing is uploaded.

How to play

Drag across touching buttons (corners count) to spell a word of three letters or more, and lift to check it. Or tap the buttons one by one and tap the last one again.
With a keyboard, type the word and press Enter, or move with the arrow keys, press Space to pick a button and Backspace to take one back.
Start with the rehearsal: spell the lit word and watch which button changes and into what. You can skip it.
In the test, find the broadcast's words. After every word, one button changes by the rule; the key strip lists every letter on the grid and what it becomes.
A tune-in (1 or Ⓧ) points at a word, but a broadcast passed with a tune-in does not go on air and comes round again.
Press P, Escape or Start to pause.

Controls

Drag across buttons, or tap them one by one — spell a word
Type the word, then Enter — check it
Arrow keys or D-pad, Space or Ⓐ — move and pick a button; Backspace or Ⓑ — take one back
1 or Ⓧ — tune in (hint)
P, Escape or Start — pause

Frequently asked questions

What happens in the rehearsal?

A tiny three-by-three grid appears and asks for one word. When you spell it, you watch the button change by the broadcast's rule, so the first change you see is one you were told to expect. You can skip it, or in Settings show it only for new broadcasts.

What is a tune-in?

The hint. It points at a word, and you may use two a broadcast. A broadcast passed with a tune-in does not go on air, but you still finish it and score its points.

What changes after every word?

One button changes its letter, by the broadcast's cipher. The key strip on the page lists what every letter on the grid becomes.

Are there flashing lights?

Lightning is drawn as a soft flash, never more than once every few seconds. Turn on Fewer flashes or Reduce motion in Settings and the lightning stops.