To send a message with our Enigma II, choose a gear order and a three-letter keyword. Turn the right-hand wheel to each message letter, then read the left and middle wheels in turn. Here we will encode MEET ME as YZRO YZ, reset the machine, and decode it back.
This lesson works with the Enigma II Small and Enigma II Large. Use your Enigma II, a pencil and paper. This is a fresh practice message, separate from the secret messages supplied with the machine.
Our Enigma series was designed and built by Dave Janelle and Bob Nolet. The wooden Enigma II is a gear cipher, not a replica of the wartime Enigma machine. Follow this device's instructions rather than an online WWII Enigma simulator.
Watch how the gears lift off and line up
Read the video transcript
You can see there's three gears here. And they each are labeled with a different number. And that'll become important when it's time to encode and decode your messages. So what you can do is set these up in any arrangement. So you align each gear up. So it'll be 50L, 60A, 70Z. And that'll be your starting point, or your Enigma key. And through that, you'll be able to encode and decode secret messages for your escape room, an event you're having at the house, some team building, or if you just want to shoot messages back and forth with friends and family. Creative Crafthouse. From our family to yours.
Set the three gears before you begin
Identify each gear by counting its spokes: five, six or seven. Gear position means where you put it on the board. In this lesson, position 1 is the left pin, position 2 the middle pin and position 3 the right pin.
Arrange the gears 6-7-5 from left to right. Set the keyword HOT: H at the left gear's top arrow, O at the middle gear's top arrow, and T at the right gear's side arrow. Position the gears on their pins so the teeth engage with those letters at the arrows.
| Position | Gear | Starting letter |
|---|---|---|
| 1: left | 6 spokes | H at top arrow |
| 2: middle | 7 spokes | O at top arrow |
| 3: right | 5 spokes | T at side arrow |
The instruction sheet calls the right-hand gear the Output Wheel. When encoding, it holds the original message letter. When decoding, it shows the recovered letter. Keep that name in mind, even though encoding begins by turning this wheel.
Encode MEET ME, one letter at a time
Write the message as MEETME. We leave out the word space. Our first encoded letter comes from the left wheel, our second from the middle wheel, and we keep alternating. The right-hand wheel is always where we put the original letter.
- Turn the right-hand wheel until M reaches its side arrow. Read Y at the left wheel's top arrow. Write Y.
- Turn the right-hand wheel to E. Read Z at the middle wheel's top arrow. Write Z.
- The next original letter is E again. Keep E at the right-hand arrow, but read the left wheel this time. Write R.
- Turn the right-hand wheel to T. Read the middle wheel: O.
- Turn the right-hand wheel to M. Read the left wheel: Y.
- Turn the right-hand wheel to E. Read the middle wheel: Z.
Do not lift or reset the gears between letters. They turn together. In step 3, the right wheel does not need to move at all: E is already at its arrow. You change which wheel you read.
| Letter | Original | Read wheel | Encoded |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | M | Left | Y |
| 2 | E | Middle | Z |
| 3 | E | Left | R |
| 4 | T | Middle | O |
| 5 | M | Left | Y |
| 6 | E | Middle | Z |
Your encoded text is YZROYZ. The instruction sheet suggests four-letter groups, so write YZRO YZ. That space is for readability. It does not mark the original word break or restart the left-middle sequence.
Reset, then work backwards
Before decoding, put the gears back in order 6-7-5 and restore HOT at the arrows. Start with the left wheel again. Now you place each encoded letter on the left or middle wheel, and read the original letter on the right.
- Turn the left wheel until Y is at its top arrow. Read M at the right-hand wheel's side arrow.
- Turn the middle wheel until Z is at its top arrow. Read E on the right.
- Turn the left wheel to R. Read E on the right.
- Turn the middle wheel to O. Read T on the right.
- Turn the left wheel to Y. Read M on the right.
- Turn the middle wheel to Z. Read E on the right.
You should recover MEETME. Restore the word space to read MEET ME. Putting the encoded letters onto the right wheel would repeat the encoding operation. Decoding reverses which wheel you set and which wheel you read.
Try a message of your own
Keep the same settings for your first attempt. Choose a short message using letters only. Write down the original before touching the wheels, and leave word spaces out of the letter count. Use the table below on paper. Before handing over your message, reset the machine and decode your own result.
Gear order: 6-7-5 Keyword: HOT First reading wheel: left
| Letter | Original | Read wheel | Encoded | Decoded check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | _____ | Left | _____ | _____ |
| 2 | _____ | Middle | _____ | _____ |
| 3 | _____ | Left | _____ | _____ |
| 4 | _____ | Middle | _____ | _____ |
| 5 | _____ | Left | _____ | _____ |
| 6 | _____ | Middle | _____ | _____ |
Your recipient needs the encoded text, gear order and keyword. For this practice run, give them all three. Once you both understand the method, you can choose different settings. If you use a message in a homemade escape room, supply those settings as an earlier clue and have someone else check the complete sequence. Our escape room puzzle sourcing guide covers the wider setup.
If the letters do not match
| What happened? | Check this first |
|---|---|
| The first letter is wrong. | Recheck gear order and HOT at the correct three arrows. Begin by reading the left wheel. |
| Encoding matches, but decoding does not. | Reset HOT before decoding. Put encoded letters on the left and middle wheels, then read the right wheel. |
| A repeated E became Z both times. | You probably read the middle wheel twice. The third letter comes from the left wheel and gives R. |
| It stopped matching after a space. | Count letters, not spaces. Continue alternating through word breaks and four-letter groups. |
| It stopped matching partway through. | Check for a skipped or duplicated letter. Compare the worksheet row by row, then restart from the recorded settings. |
If your result still differs, contact us with the gear order, keyword, original text and the first row that differs. That gives us a specific place to start.
Questions at the table
Does this work on both sizes?
Yes. The Small and Large use the same three-gear method. This lesson is for Enigma II, rather than the other machines in our Enigma series.
Do I reset HOT for every letter?
No. Set HOT before beginning the message, then leave the gears engaged as you turn them. Restore the starting settings before decoding or starting a fresh message.
Do I restart with the left wheel for each new word?
No. Alternate left, middle across the whole message. Word spaces and four-letter grouping spaces do not count as letters.
Can the machine encode numbers?
The Enigma II gears carry letters. For a first message, spell a number out as a word, such as FIVE, and encode those letters. Do not expect a numeral on the gear rim.
Method source: Creative Crafthouse's Enigma II instruction sheet and matching gear template. The example above was checked against the gear lettering in both directions. It is a teaching example, not one of the supplied secret-message answers. For more hands-on activities, see choosing puzzles by interest and our sequential discovery puzzle guide.
Updated October 22, 2026
