Not sure which cipher? Identify it

A digraph cipher: letter pairs move over a 5×5 square built from a keyword — the same letter encrypts differently depending on its partner.

Type

substitution cipher

Breaking it

hard to break by hand

Era

19th century

Name

Invented by Charles Wheatstone in 1854 and championed by Lord Playfair.

Modes

encrypt · decrypt · cryptanalysis

Ciphertext to break
I
Digraphs
II
Improve the square
III
Done
Start the attack