How to Write Secret Messages in Wingdings

Wingdings is the classic “secret code” of the computer age. Every letter becomes a picture, so a sentence turns into a row of hands, flags and zodiac signs that looks like nonsense to anyone without a decoder. This guide shows how to write a Wingdings secret message, how to make it harder to crack, and how to send it so it actually arrives intact.

Write your first secret message

Type your message below. The translator turns it into Wingdings symbols instantly.

Tap Copy result to paste the symbols into a chat, or Share link to send a link that opens the message already decoded. Save as PNG gives you an image, which is perfect for notes, posters and puzzles.

Five ways to make your message harder to read

1. Use a less famous font. Most people who know Wingdings only know the original. Wingdings 3 turns text into arrows that all look alike: ▽︎🢫︎🢩︎△︎🢫︎◀︎.
2. Mix fonts. Write the first word in Wingdings and the second in Webdings. A decoder has to guess where the switch happens.
3. Remove the spaces. Word lengths are a big clue. Without spaces, ❍︎♏︎♏︎⧫︎♋︎⧫︎■︎□︎□︎■︎ is much harder to guess by pattern.
4. Use capitals for some letters. Upper and lower case letters are different symbols in Wingdings, so a message in mixed case has almost twice as many possible symbols.
5. Add a second layer. Shift every letter first, like a Caesar cipher, then convert to Wingdings. Even someone with a Wingdings decoder will see only scrambled letters.

How to send it without breaking it

A Wingdings message can fail in two ways:

• The symbols turn into letters. This happens when someone changes the font in Word and then copies the text. The font only changes the look, so the letters come back. Always use the translator’s Unicode output instead. We explain why in the history of dingbat fonts.
• The symbols turn into colour emoji. Phones may draw some symbols, such as 👍︎, as emoji. Keep Emoji-proof output switched on in the translator.

For app by app tips, see Wingdings on Discord, Instagram and WhatsApp.

How the receiver decodes it

The receiver pastes the symbols into the Wingdings to English decoder, which detects the font automatically. If they only have a photo or screenshot, the decoder page has a clickable symbol keyboard, explained in how to decode Wingdings from a picture.

Is Wingdings actually secure?

No, and it is worth being honest about that. Wingdings is a simple substitution cipher: each letter always becomes the same symbol. Anyone with a decoder can read it in seconds, and even without one, a patient person can crack a long message by counting which symbols appear most often, because in English e, t and a are the most common letters. That technique is called frequency analysis.

Use Wingdings for fun: birthday notes, treasure hunts, escape room clues and fan art. Never use it to hide passwords, bank details or anything private.

Ideas for secret messages

• A birthday card where the last line is in Wingdings and the answer is on the back.
• A treasure hunt where each clue is written in a different font.
• A classroom challenge using our Wingdings cipher activity.
• An Undertale style message written in Gaster’s all caps Wingdings.

Frequently asked questions

Is Wingdings a secure code?

No. It is a simple substitution cipher that anyone with a decoder can read in seconds. Use it for fun, never for private information.

How do I make a Wingdings message harder to read?

Use Wingdings 3 or mix fonts, remove spaces, mix capitals and small letters, or apply a Caesar shift before converting.

Why did my message turn back into letters?

It was written by changing the font in Word. Use the translator's Unicode output, which keeps its shape in any app.