Puzzle 1
Starter clue: K = O
AIABIKBKRXFBKPFKUIJFTSKVRFPBKURAUF,CKIKCROIJFKSFIAQYRRO,VGITSYQIAQYRRO.
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
Action Cryptograms Set 29
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.
The puzzles
Puzzle 2
Starter clue: A = E
QPATDHOJFQDCPNFMJC,QPWSTWQGQPACPALDYWTWCNJSAPALNWLAGHWLCCPJTGPANJSAGNA?
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
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Puzzle 3
Starter clue: Z = E
VZLGNYZLKZUETMYYTZXEMZHULRZBAMYQTZBBRGSEUXZYQULYQZDPGTUEXZVMBNGEYSLZB.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: L = A
DWDKPNLXGLFEGHFSLJJYAEGDTYUDKEYMYFYNDUGLEVXHIVD,LXMXYNLXGLFLXPYEGDKSLJJ.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: R = E
BTGAZPURABJBWRRUOPGZTZLRADJQAWJZATWJBBTVARZSABCLTGRBTDROTMZLRVLJMJVZRM.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
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Puzzle 6
Starter clue: C = T
CKBPBOEAMCKOAYEMBTEQDNCCKTCOCDBUMFBEIOWWOUNZCSKBAQMNIMOCSOCKPBZNUCTAUB.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
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- R
- S
- T
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- 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)
Want this on its own sheet? Print the letter frequency chart.
Show the answer key (6 solutions)
- “It is to solve some of the problems of life, not only theoretically, but practically.”— Henry David Thoreau, 1854, WaldenCipher key: A=I B=S C=N D=K E=G F=E G=U H=Z I=T J=H K=O L=J M=Q N=X O=Y P=M Q=C R=L S=R T=P U=F V=B W=D X=V Y=A Z=W
- “When I play with my cat, who knows whether I do not make her more sport than she makes me?”— Michel de Montaigne, 1580, Essays, Book II, Chap. XII. Apology for Raimond Sebond (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=E B=Q C=T D=I E=J F=Y G=S H=P I=U J=A K=V L=R M=C N=M O=L P=H Q=W R=B S=K T=N U=Z V=X W=O X=G Y=D Z=F
- “Men often bear little grievances with less courage than they do large misfortunes.”— Aesop, 1867, Aesop's Fables (George Fyler Townsend translation, 1867)Cipher key: A=W B=S C=Z D=Y E=R F=X G=O H=V I=J J=K K=B L=N M=I N=F O=Q P=D Q=H R=C S=U T=L U=A V=M W=P X=G Y=T Z=E
- “Every man has this call of the power to do somewhat unique, and no man has any other call.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841, Essays: First SeriesCipher key: A=F B=K C=G D=E E=T F=S G=H H=I I=Q J=L K=R L=A M=D N=M O=J P=Y Q=Z R=B S=C T=P U=W V=U W=V X=N Y=O Z=X
- “Solitude is as needful to the imagination as society is wholesome for the character.”— James Russell Lowell, 1870, Among My Books, First Series. Dryden (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=I B=S C=W D=M E=Q F=B G=L H=K I=V J=A K=X L=H M=R N=Z O=F P=U Q=G R=E S=Y T=O U=D V=C W=N X=P Y=J Z=T
- “There is nothing so easy but that it becomes difficult when you do it with reluctance.”— Terence, 163 BC, Heautontimoroumenos (Heauton Timorumenos), Act IV. Sc. 6, 1. (805) (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=N B=E C=T D=B E=S F=M G=X H=J I=D J=Q K=H L=V M=O N=U O=I P=R Q=Y R=Z S=W T=A U=C V=K W=F X=P Y=G Z=L