I run all day and never get anywhere.
Hint: Tells the time.
Leads to: Clock
Code puzzles
A secret code treasure hunt they have to crack
Every clue is a coded message. Morse code, a Caesar shift, numbers for letters: the recipient decodes each card to find the next hiding spot, and the last one leads to the gift.
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How a secret code scavenger hunt works
Card #1 is a plain riddle, so they get going. From clue 2 on, every riddle is encoded with the code you choose. Decode it, solve the riddle, find the spot, and the next coded card is waiting there. A decoder card prints with the hunt and goes to the recipient together with card #1.
It's a printable PDF for teens and adults: four cards per A4 or US Letter sheet, plus an answer sheet for you with every clue decoded, so you can help if they get stuck.
The riddles behind the codes
Real clues from the Cluejoy riddle library. Your hunt uses the recipient's name and your own hiding spots.
Reflect on this: I copy you perfectly but always get left and right mixed up.
Hint: Bathroom wall.
Leads to: Bathroom mirror
A Morse code clue, as it prints
Spaces separate letters, slashes separate words. Use the chart below to decode it.
Dots and dashes spell out letters in Morse code. Spaces separate letters and slashes separate words. Use the Morse chart to decode it.
.- / .... --- --- -.- / ..-. --- .-. / . ...- . .-. -.-- / .... .- - / .. -. / - .... . / .... --- ..- ... .
Show the answer
Decoded: A hook for every hat in the house.
Leads to: Coat rack
The six code twists
- Caesar shift (+3)
- Every letter has been moved 3 places forward in the alphabet. Move each letter 3 places back to read your clue (D becomes A, A becomes X). Check the fridge →
Fkhfn wkh iulgjh - Mirror alphabet (Atbash)
- The alphabet has been flipped: A swaps with Z, B with Y, C with X, and so on. Swap each letter back to read your clue. Check the fridge →
Xsvxp gsv uirwtv - Number code (A=1 ... Z=26)
- Each number is a letter: A=1, B=2 ... Z=26. Dashes separate letters and slashes separate words. Check the fridge →
3-8-5-3-11 / 20-8-5 / 6-18-9-4-7-5 - Backwards words
- Each word has been written backwards, but the words are still in the right order. Read each word from right to left. Check the fridge →
KCEHC EHT EGDIRF - Morse code
- Dots and dashes spell out letters in Morse code. Spaces separate letters and slashes separate words. Use the Morse chart to decode it. Check the fridge →
-.-. .... . -.-. -.- / - .... . / ..-. .-. .. -.. --. . - Old phone keypad
- Text it like it's 2003: each group of digits is one letter on a phone keypad. Press count matters: 2=A, 22=B, 222=C, 7777=S, 9999=Z. Slashes separate words. Check the fridge →
222 44 33 222 55 / 8 44 33 / 333 777 444 3 4 33
Morse code chart
This is the chart that prints on the decoder card of a Morse hunt. Every letter keeps its code next to it.
- A
.- - B
-... - C
-.-. - D
-.. - E
. - F
..-. - G
--. - H
.... - I
.. - J
.--- - K
-.- - L
.-.. - M
-- - N
-. - O
--- - P
.--. - Q
--.- - R
.-. - S
... - T
- - U
..- - V
...- - W
.-- - X
-..- - Y
-.-- - Z
--..
Caesar cipher example
A Caesar shift moves every letter three places forward in the alphabet. To decode, move each letter three places back: D becomes A, and A becomes X.
| Plain | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shift +3 | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | A | B | C |
Example clue: L wkurz vkdgh, exw rqob rq sxusrvh.
Decoded: I throw shade, but only on purpose.
Questions
Which code is easiest?
Backwards words and the number code are the gentlest. Morse and the old phone keypad take longer, and the Caesar shift and mirror alphabet feel the most like real codebreaking.
Do they need to know Morse code?
No. The Morse chart prints with the hunt, so anyone can decode it letter by letter.
Can I mix codes in one hunt?
Each hunt uses one code for clues 2 onward, so the decoder stays simple. Want variety? Make a second hunt with a different code.
Is it for kids too?
Code twists are made for teens and adults. Kids hunts use short rhyming riddles with fold-under hints instead.
Ready to make yours?
Pick the hiding spots, type the name and the gift, and print. About five minutes, start to finish.
Create a Morse code hunt