# Lindemann 2021: Character entropy in modern and historical texts: comparison metrics for an undeciphered manuscript

> Luke Lindemann, Claire Bowern, 2021. 7 records on Mysteries Department cite it. The book cites it with Bowern and Lindemann 2021 for Voynichese character…

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC08JHV0383RBG/character-entropy-in-modern-and-historical-texts-comparison  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  

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[Sources](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources)[Voynich Manuscript](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/voynich-manuscript)Lindemann 2021

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# Character entropy in modern and historical texts: comparison metrics for an undeciphered manuscript

Luke Lindemann, Claire Bowern, 2021.

Measures character entropy across a large set of modern and historical texts to give reference values for the Voynich text, whose conditional character entropy proves unusually low.

**Voynich Manuscript** PreprintChecked against the original0

## What it's used for here

The book cites it with Bowern and Lindemann 2021 for Voynichese character entropy falling below all 250 languages compared, and five methods surveys cite it as the standard entropy measurement; it was also in the withdrawn March 2026 draft.

## Cited by on this site 7 records

[Reading Without a Key](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D8NJAWT22V4/reading-without-a-key)

The book, version 2.0

SRC

[Toward a Reading of the Voynich Manuscript](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D8NJAN066JH/toward-a-reading-of-the-voynich-manuscript-lexical-anchors)

The March 2026 draft

SRC

[5 methods surveys]

Signal processing, cryptanalysis, mathematics, linguistics, inductive methods

SRC

## Cite it

```
Lindemann, L., & Bowern, C. (2021). Character entropy in modern and historical texts: comparison metrics for an undeciphered manuscript.
```

[Read it free at arxiv.org](https://arxiv.org/abs/2010.14697)[PDF stored here · 53 pages](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC08JHV0383RBG/character-entropy-in-modern-and-historical-texts-comparison/pdf)

The PDF is the copy arxiv.org gives away, kept here so the link can't break. Downloads are open to beta members.

Key

**SRC** 08JHV0383RBG

Kind

Preprint

Rights

CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0

Checked

Against the published original

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[apollo](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)

The record

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