Case 2.—This case includes all transposition ciphers in which lines and columns of the text are rearranged according to some key word or key number. There are many varieties of this case but their solution usually is arrived at through the methods suggested for Case 1, that is, arrangement into appropriate rectangles and examination of lines and columns for words or syllables. Rearrangement of columns or lines follows until the solution is completed.
Case 2-a.
Message
| HIIGF | TNGHI | NTCVN | IEIOT | CYIFY | LHAEA | ESNBA | EEEEN |
| RWGBN | YDELR | OAESG | RNEBO | VNLDA | ICAOA | LCNDT | IRGVA |
| CDOIE | SEREC | DVPEI | AFIFL | RINEH | ETT |
There are 108 letters in this message and examination shows it to be a transposition cipher, English text. The number of letters, 108, immediately suggests a rectangle of 12 × 9 or 9 × 12 letters. Put into this form we have:
| Vowels H I I G F T N G H I N T 3 C V N I E I O T C Y I F 5 Y L H A E A E S N B A E 6 E E E N R W G B N Y D E 4 L R O A E S G R N E B O 5 V N L D A I C A O A L C 5 N D T I R G V A C D O I 4 E S E R E C D V P E I A 6 F I F L R I N E H E T T 4 | Vowels H I I G F T N G H 2 I N T C V N I E I 4 O T C Y I F Y L H 2 A E A E S N B A E 6 E E E N R W G B N 3 Y D E L R O A E S 4 G R N E B O V N L 2 D A I C A O A L C 5 N D T I R G V A C 2 D O I E S E R E C 5 D V P E I A F I F 4 L R I N E H E T T 3 |
| Vowels | |
| H I I G F T N G H I N T | 3 |
| C V N I E I O T C Y I F | 5 |
| Y L H A E A E S N B A E | 6 |
| E E E N R W G B N Y D E | 4 |
| L R O A E S G R N E B O | 5 |
| V N L D A I C A O A L C | 5 |
| N D T I R G V A C D O I | 4 |
| E S E R E C D V P E I A | 6 |
| F I F L R I N E H E T T | 4 |
| Vowels | |
| H I I G F T N G H | 2 |
| I N T C V N I E I | 4 |
| O T C Y I F Y L H | 2 |
| A E A E S N B A E | 6 |
| E E E N R W G B N | 3 |
| Y D E L R O A E S | 4 |
| G R N E B O V N L | 2 |
| D A I C A O A L C | 5 |
| N D T I R G V A C | 2 |
| D O I E S E R E C | 5 |
| D V P E I A F I F | 4 |
| L R I N E H E T T | 3 |
The vowel count of the lines shows the first arrangement to be the more likely. We will now number the columns and try pairing off certain ones which in no line would give impossible combinations of letters.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| H | I | I | G | F | T | N | G | H | I | N | T |
| C | V | N | I | E | I | O | T | C | Y | I | F |
| Y | L | H | A | E | A | E | S | N | B | A | E |
| E | E | E | N | R | W | G | B | N | Y | D | E |
| L | R | O | A | E | S | G | R | N | E | B | O |
| V | N | L | D | A | I | C | A | O | A | L | C |
| N | D | T | I | R | G | V | A | C | D | O | I |
| E | S | E | R | E | C | D | V | P | E | I | A |
| F | I | F | L | R | I | N | E | H | E | T | T |