What Is ROT13 Cipher and How It Works – Simple Explanation

What Is ROT13 Cipher and How It Works – Simple Explanation

ROT13 is one of the simplest ways to encode a message. It just shifts every letter by 13 places. It’s not secure, but it’s fun and useful for hiding simple text.

What Is ROT13?

ROT13 stands for “rotate by 13 places.” It’s a basic letter substitution cipher used to hide text. Each letter in the message is replaced by the letter 13 places after it in the alphabet.

Example:

Hello becomes Uryyb

How Does It Work?

  • 🔄 A–M becomes N–Z
  • N–Z becomes A–M
  • 🔐 Only alphabet letters are changed; numbers and symbols stay the same

Where Is ROT13 Used?

  • 📝 To hide spoilers or jokes in forums
  • 📄 In tech communities to obfuscate simple strings
  • 👨‍💻 As an exercise in programming or logic

Try Our Free ROT13 Encoder/Decoder

Use our online tool to convert any text to ROT13 or decode it back easily.

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FAQs About ROT13

Is ROT13 secure?

No. It’s a very basic method. Anyone can decode it just by applying ROT13 again.

Can ROT13 be reversed?

Yes. Applying ROT13 twice gives you the original message back.

What makes ROT13 useful?

It’s good for hiding spoilers, email addresses, or testing text obfuscation in code.