Kryptos / K1Between light
and shadow.
The first passage. A short message about perception, encrypted with a repeating keyword.
EMUFPHZLRFAXYUSDJKZLDKRNSHGNFIVJYQTQUXQBQVYUVLLTREVJYQTMKYRDMFD
Complete ciphertext. Display line breaks are for reading, not the original layout.
The solution
Spacing and punctuation added; original spellings retained.
Between subtle shading and the absence of light lies the nuance of iqlusion
IQLUSION is the spelling produced by the cipher. It has not been corrected to “illusion.”
How to decode it
Verified against the complete ciphertext, not just a recognizable opening phrase.
- Use the mixed alphabet
KRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZ, numbered 0–25. - Repeat the keyword over the letters of the ciphertext. Question marks do not consume a key letter.
- Subtract each key-letter index from its ciphertext-letter index, modulo 26. Read the result in the same mixed alphabet.
Exact unspaced plaintext
BETWEENSUBTLESHADINGANDTHEABSENCEOFLIGHTLIESTHENUANCEOFIQLUSION