6 cryptograms to solve with a pencil. Each letter of the quote has been swapped for another letter, and the same swap holds all the way through.
26 pt ciphertext with wide letter spacing and room to write. 34 pt ciphertext — readable across the table, one or two puzzles a page. Both sizes print on US Letter with the answer key on its own page.
Printing this web page instead? Press Ctrl+P (⌘+P on a Mac). The navigation and buttons drop away, and the answer key prints on its own page — open it below first if you want it included.
The puzzles
Puzzle 1
Hard · 40 letters
Starter clue: S = E
GPIY'AAIZNSBETYPSMEEASOAAIZNSBETYPSMIWVST.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Puzzle 2
Hard · 40 letters
Starter clue: P = E
FWPHOWPTYYSDCTPDZMPHOOWPDFCHDNPKZHOYDZHK.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
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Y
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Puzzle 3
Hard · 40 letters
Starter clue: Y = E
IYBSYYVBZYZQVPQVPBZYFUWBZYELAWXQHIYEWUFB.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
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Puzzle 4
Hard · 40 letters
Starter clue: U = E
GEASDUEGHYNNFOYUMNGQANALUUKUOALEAOUUALUC.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
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Z
Puzzle 5
Expert · 40 letters
Starter clue: L = E
JXLZOKFHLMDQEEKHIXKZLMIGLZUKGLTRIXLBOKJZ.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
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Puzzle 6
Medium · 40 letters
Starter clue: M = E
FMDFLJKUVHCYVMNNVYLMVCLXSMMNDFHXFMVTMCYV.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
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X
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Solver's cheat sheet
Most common letters
E T A O I N S H R D L U
Most common 1-letter words
A I
Most common 2-letter words
OF TO IN IT IS BE AS AT SO WE HE BY OR ON DO IF ME MY UP AN GO NO US AM
Most common 3-letter words
THE AND FOR ARE BUT NOT YOU ALL ANY CAN HER WAS ONE OUR OUT DAY GET HAS HIM HIS HOW MAN NEW NOW OLD SEE TWO WAY WHO BOY DID ITS LET PUT SAY SHE TOO USE
Common double letters
LL EE SS OO TT FF RR NN PP CC
Common word endings
-ING -ION -ENT -TION -LY -ED -ER -EST
After an apostrophe
T (don't) S (it's) RE (we're) VE (I've) LL (we'll) D (I'd)
“What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.”— English proverb, 1859, Recorded in Walter K. Kelly, Proverbs of All Nations, Compared, Explained, and Illustrated (London, 1859)Cipher key: A=S B=F C=Q D=V E=O F=K G=W H=M I=A J=L K=Z L=Y M=G N=C O=I P=H Q=X R=B S=E T=R U=P V=D W=N X=J Y=T Z=U
“When the rooks are silent the swans begin to sing.”— Danish proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=Y B=Q C=A D=S E=F F=W G=U H=N I=X J=Z K=G L=D M=L N=B O=T P=E Q=M R=J S=K T=R U=C V=P W=H X=V Y=O Z=I
“Between the hand and the lip the soup may be spilt.”— German proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=U B=T C=G D=K E=S F=L G=F H=Y I=B J=Q K=X L=O M=V N=J O=C P=D Q=A R=Z S=W T=R U=I V=N W=P X=M Y=E Z=H
“Nature and books belong to the eyes that see them.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844, Essays: Second SeriesCipher key: A=T B=F C=M D=R E=A F=K G=N H=D I=C J=Z K=Y L=H M=L N=O O=S P=W Q=G R=I S=U T=J U=E V=X W=V X=P Y=B Z=Q
“When rogues fall out honest men come by their own.”— English proverb, 1859, Recorded in Walter K. Kelly, Proverbs of All Nations, Compared, Explained, and Illustrated (London, 1859)Cipher key: A=P B=I C=X D=F E=L F=G G=M H=U I=T J=W K=O L=E M=S N=V O=R P=Z Q=A R=Y S=J T=B U=C V=K W=D X=H Y=Q Z=N
“He who buys and sells does not feel what he spends.”— Spanish proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=G B=I C=N D=W E=R F=H G=J H=A I=Z J=B K=U L=O M=E N=L O=X P=Q Q=C R=M S=F T=P U=Y V=S W=K X=T Y=D Z=V