Puzzle 1
Starter clue: U = E
TCCWDBUQSRUSE,-ASPUUP,UBUQMYHRTSFUSUIAETSPUSODMRUSE,UBUQMBAQEHUTSPUBUQMNQHPUSETJE,-AXIDHSPUPDSJDRNQDRAXUTSPFTQEUQ.
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 46
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: C = T
RCRUCXHUHYBHCNMCXHZNBITCXPCPIICXRLJUUAOURUCPLTTNLNCTRHOACNLISBHCRBHPIRCCIHMBNKURJXCPLTPMCHBZPBTUBHCABLPJPRL.
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 3
Starter clue: R = H
HGJGBRMNWPISRMJGFZJZGJGVBRZJLPMPRWRMPYRGHGWPBRWWYKGJL,GKPISRMPRWYZPRWPBRWWBGRMNW,AIBQGGUMBBRWTMPBRWDMKWZJBKIBR.
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: Z = E
DIZDPWCJEWHDMXDZQZJZXDYWNJWHMQTIMHMTDZHCXMSBAKZMHZMXZMHXZYDAZYCHZDWHZMTIMSBYDTWXTQBYCWXMXATWBHMKZDWZXNWHTZCD.
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: F = E
ZQOFQNQPZVFIFHWRGRHGIZVFG,QGSJFIHXCFZHSRIBRIIZVPMASYBFGZQLHAZQGQUZQIRDRZNFJFIHBFZVRGYYJRFCHAI,QGSZVPQGYFJRIYHGF.
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: A = N
AIKRPNLIDLIEPNXIPEQANYNPZKLQAXATSNDDKTKLNNAEKLIAKTKLNCNXQAAQAXIAEKLNVTAKQARIAVN,MRDKSQJNKLNWIAGLTKLPTGDROICISS.
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
- U
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- X
- Y
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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)
Want this on its own sheet? Print the letter frequency chart.
Show the answer key (6 solutions)
- “All government, - indeed, every human benefit and enjoyment, every virtue and every prudent act, - is founded on compromise and barter.”— Edmund Burke, 1775, Speech on Conciliation with America, Speech on the Conciliation of America. Vol. II. p. 169 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=I B=V C=L D=O E=T F=B G=W H=U I=F J=C K=Q L=Z M=Y N=P O=J P=D Q=R R=M S=N T=A U=E V=X W=G X=S Y=H Z=K
- “It is the secret of the world that all things subsist and do not die but only retire a little from sight and afterwards return again.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844, Essays: Second SeriesCipher key: A=U B=R C=T D=Q E=X F=K G=J H=E I=L J=G K=M L=N M=F N=O O=B P=A Q=V R=I S=Y T=D U=S V=Z W=P X=H Y=C Z=W
- “Do not have such an opinion of things as he has who does thee wrong, or such as he wishes thee to have, but look at them as they are in truth.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=B B=T C=X D=Y E=Z F=P G=O H=D I=U J=N K=R L=G M=A N=V O=J P=S Q=L R=H S=C T=M U=K V=F W=E X=Q Y=W Z=I
- “The two important elements of moral character in a judge are an earnest desire to reach a just conclusion and courage to enforce it.”— Theodore Roosevelt, 1906, Sixth Annual Message to CongressCipher key: A=D B=U C=I D=T E=P F=K G=Z H=R I=H J=M K=G L=B M=A N=F O=V P=W Q=L R=X S=J T=C U=Q V=Y W=O X=N Y=S Z=E
- “Take away these opinions then, and resolve to dismiss thy judgment about an act as if it were something grievous, and thy anger is gone.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=U B=M C=V D=F E=Q F=E G=N H=O I=S J=R K=X L=B M=J N=W O=K P=Y Q=A R=I S=D T=Z U=C V=H W=P X=L Y=G Z=T
- “Nature has had regard in everything no less to the end than to the beginning and the continuance, just like the man who throws up a ball.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=N B=F C=B D=S E=D F=Q G=W H=X I=A J=K K=T L=H M=J N=E O=P P=R Q=I R=U S=L T=O U=Z V=C W=M X=G Y=V Z=Y