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.
20 pt ciphertext — the size a newspaper puzzle page never gives you. 26 pt ciphertext with wide letter spacing and room to write. 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.
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
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)
“From the same flower the bee extracts honey and the wasp gall.”— Italian proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=M B=V C=E D=Z E=H F=T G=N H=Q I=F J=D K=R L=K M=C N=X O=J P=B Q=Y R=O S=U T=W U=S V=I W=P X=L Y=A Z=G
“The earthen pan gains nothing by contact with the copper pot.”— Danish proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=R B=K C=O D=C E=L F=Q G=E H=U I=S J=B K=X L=M M=N N=D O=H P=F Q=V R=G S=W T=Z U=P V=Y W=T X=J Y=A Z=I
“All your better deeds shall be in water writ, but this in marble.”— Beaumont and Fletcher, 1620, Philaster, Act V. Sc. 3 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=N B=K C=S D=H E=T F=B G=R H=Z I=E J=P K=W L=M M=D N=G O=L P=I Q=Y R=X S=C T=V U=J V=O W=Q X=F Y=A Z=U
“Heat not a furnace for your foe so hot that it do singe yourself.”— William Shakespeare, 1592, King Henry VI, II. Act I. Sc. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=E B=V C=Z D=B E=H F=R G=X H=N I=S J=M K=D L=Y M=F N=I O=L P=Q Q=G R=W S=C T=P U=K V=O W=T X=A Y=J Z=U
“Do not rejoice at my grief, for when mine is old yours will be new.”— Spanish proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=Q B=O C=T D=K E=Y F=D G=F H=W I=A J=R K=C L=J M=X N=L O=P P=M Q=S R=B S=N T=U U=V V=E W=I X=G Y=Z Z=H
“I will be correspondent to command, And do my spiriting gently.”— William Shakespeare, 1611, The Tempest, Act I. Sc. 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Z B=D C=E D=L E=Y F=Q G=K H=S I=U J=V K=W L=O M=B N=F O=G P=I Q=X R=H S=N T=R U=P V=C W=A X=J Y=T Z=M