Basic Form
The original square used the Greek alphabet, but can be used with any alphabet. In fact, it has also been used with Japanese hiragana (see cryptography in Japan). With the modern English alphabet, in typical form, it appears thus:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | B | C | D | E |
| 2 | F | G | H | I/J | K |
| 3 | L | M | N | O | P |
| 4 | Q | R | S | T | U |
| 5 | V | W | X | Y | Z |
Each letter is then represented by its coordinates in the grid. For example, "BAT" becomes "12 11 44". Because 26 characters do not quite fit in a square, it is rounded down to the next lowest square number by combining two letters (usually I and J). (Polybius had no such problem because the Greek alphabet he was using had 24 letters). Alternatively, the ten digits could be added and 36 characters would be put into a 6 × 6 grid
Such a larger grid might also be used for Cyrillic script (of which the most common alphabet variant has 33 letters, though some have fewer, and some up to 37.)
Read more about this topic: Polybius Square
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