Puzzle 1
Starter clue: L = E
MSMKSJLPXBKSLOMAXWSXXCMLAVMYIEYVMYVLDMKMOLEDJEBEDSLB,SJESYXMYWAFLYDLXOLBMSDEYHLVLZLYVLVXY.
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 38
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: V = N
SWNJBOJWHXPJZVCVJSUZVTWVGPJHSZVZS,ZVBWHHZVTLPCICVJHCQZWOWQSSCWVCSUJPHCQZWOWQS,SUZVNZVTCLTCG.
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 3
Starter clue: U = E
LYUFUDRSNVYJFJVLUF,YNPRNUIUFTNNKJSKBDSU,ZOLDLVJSZUKURLFNCUKZCFDKDVOXU,YNPRNUIUFQNNFJSKPDLXURR.
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 4
Starter clue: B = O
KCHBRBNZRBKWRCHPATCLBBNPRNOCKBBHM,KCSWRRBNNCTTBXLSBXLMCAFNOCMNWLM,RBLNOCOBXLBGNOCHWFAFNOCMXR.
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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- U
- V
- W
- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 5
Starter clue: P = E
XKXNKXEPKBRKQPBRWHAOUEEUANOBUUIN,KBRKQPWXWAUKIPRMPUJJUHFPWHORKXUAQBPAQPSPTXAKUSPEPARAWQUEPA.
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 6
Starter clue: L = A
XAXFHSLPELOZCQXLFPZEXBCVPZOCMNCSBLOOLRLVPLOCMZXPLOEXLJLDXO,JEXZEXFMFCSOQXXBCFLPHLKOZFLNZVCP.
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)
Want this on its own sheet? Print the letter frequency chart.
Show the answer key (6 solutions)
- “It is the worst evil of too yielding and indecisive a character, that no influence over it can be depended on.”— Jane Austen, 1817, PersuasionCipher key: A=L B=R C=Y D=C E=A F=U G=Q H=B I=G J=H K=S L=E M=I N=M O=V P=W Q=K R=Z S=T T=J U=X V=D W=F X=O Y=N Z=P
- “Take pleasure in one thing and rest in it, in passing from one social act to another social act, thinking of God.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=V B=P C=O D=Y E=J F=X G=D H=S I=M J=E K=W L=F M=Z N=K O=L P=R Q=C R=B S=T T=G U=H V=N W=A X=U Y=Q Z=I
- “There is no character, howsoever good and fine, but it can be destroyed by ridicule, howsoever poor and witless.”— Mark Twain, 1894, The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead WilsonCipher key: A=Q B=F C=Y D=I E=J F=R G=Z H=M I=V J=A K=D L=T M=K N=O O=U P=W Q=P R=S S=N T=G U=E V=C W=X X=L Y=H Z=B
- “We do not know an edible root in the woods, we cannot tell our course by the stars, nor the hour of the day by the sun.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844, Essays: Second SeriesCipher key: A=B B=O C=E D=J E=Z F=Y G=F H=D I=Q J=M K=W L=R M=S N=T O=H P=I Q=V R=N S=C T=L U=X V=P W=A X=U Y=G Z=K
- “It is time that we had uncommon schools, that we did not leave off our education when we begin to be men and women.”— Henry David Thoreau, 1854, WaldenCipher key: A=N B=H C=K D=P E=M F=R G=J H=U I=L J=F K=T L=Z M=V N=S O=C P=E Q=W R=A S=B T=G U=O V=Q W=D X=I Y=X Z=Y
- “Every man has to learn the points of compass again as often as he awakes, whether from sleep or any abstraction.”— Henry David Thoreau, 1854, WaldenCipher key: A=V B=P C=O D=K E=H F=R G=X H=Y I=Q J=W K=B L=A M=F N=C O=S P=N Q=L R=G S=M T=U U=J V=I W=D X=E Y=Z Z=T