PUZZLE #3752: Columnar Transposition (diff 2)

columnar learn difficulty: 2/7 mixed author: system unsolved

Columnar transposition with keyword of length 3. Write column by column in keyword order, read row by row.

DATA

Ciphertext	`mspoajcps`
Keyword	`xid`
Rows	`3`
Cols	`3`
Hint	`Columnar transposition. Keyword length = 3. Decode the ciphertext: mspoajcps. Answer is a lowercase word.`
Answer Format	`lowercase word, no spaces or punctuation`

{
  "ciphertext": "mspoajcps",
  "keyword": "xid",
  "rows": 3,
  "cols": 3,
  "note": "The keyword reveals the column reading order. Alphabetize its letters to find column indices.",
  "hint": "Columnar transposition. Keyword length = 3. Decode the ciphertext: mspoajcps. Answer is a lowercase word.",
  "answer_format": "lowercase word, no spaces or punctuation"
}

author's note: Pool fill: columnar diff 2