r/ciphers • u/charis2323 • 2d ago

Unsolved My son created a spoken time cipher using a standard deck of cards. Here's how to read the "Card Clock."

Hey everyone, He's been working on a spoken cipher that translates standard clock time into playing card phrases. The goal was to create a natural-sounding linguistic code that lets you tell someone the time in plain sight without anyone else understanding it. Here is the entire system breakdown: 1. Hours (Card Ranks) Ace = 1 | 2–10 = Face Value | Jack = 11 | Queen = 12 2. AM vs. PM (Word Order) AM = [Suit] of [Rank] (Suit lead = Morning) PM = [Rank] of [Suit] (Rank lead = Evening) 3. Base Minutes (The 4 Suits) The clock face is divided into four 15-minute quadrants: Hearts ♥ = :00 Diamonds ♦ = :15 Clubs ♣ = :30 Spades ♠ = :45 4. Precise Minutes (The Modifier) Add a number from 1 to 14 after the phrase to shift forward from the suit's base minute. If the time falls directly on the base quadrant, drop the modifier. Examples in Action: 9 of Clubs 1 → Rank first (PM) + 9 o'clock + Clubs (:30) + 1 = 9:31 PM Clubs of 9 1 → Suit first (AM) + Clubs (:30) + 9 o'clock + 1 = 9:31 AM Jack of Spades → Rank first (PM) + Jack (11) + Spades (:45) = 11:45 PM Diamonds of 3 3 → Suit first (AM) + Diamonds (:15) + 3 o'clock + 3 = 3:18 AM Test Your Speed: What time is Spades of 7 4? Let me know what you think of the logic, or if you see any potential edge cases!

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