Puzzle 1
Starter clue: H = E
YUWHXHJYJUDXQFBZZBOVIHH,JTIENVBLCIHJA,JDAZUCHIVQ.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
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- M
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Alexander Pope Cryptograms Set 1
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: B = A
IBJJTSIFVBOHILNFHPNIBOWRBUFBAFHJBSFUOBKBRUFNDLMOW.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
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Puzzle 3
Starter clue: N = R
DBNPNBHAUWVVUJRDBNVLDBNK,JKIDKUQNHXFHKRJNNWKPJLWNWABNK.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: T = E
GWITCTFMSHXKFPKGHTWXHUGPVWWVTJXXF,XFSKPVWVKRSITQTHJGHT.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: U = E
IEUWVFVKUPSRPWIKVPRGAWSVEUWVEPSUBGABUWUGPIJRPSIYWREBKVEUW.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
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Puzzle 6
Starter clue: B = E
PWBNNBFSNCBHCRBDVBTGNXRGCSXZ,ORECBNCMWWXBYBEPBFSNMVVRSXGBF.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
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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)
- “Give me again my hollow tree, A crust of bread, and liberty.”— Alexander Pope, 1738, Imitations of Horace, Satires, Epistles, and Odes of Horace. Satire VI. Book II. Line 220 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=D B=O C=B D=N E=U F=H G=P H=E I=R J=A K=Q L=F M=K N=S O=W P=X Q=Y R=Z S=J T=C U=I V=T W=V X=M Y=G Z=L
- “Happy the man whose wish and care a few paternal acres bound.”— Alexander Pope, 1717, Ode on Solitude (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=F B=A C=X D=B E=K F=E G=V H=W I=H J=P K=L L=O M=U N=S O=N P=I Q=Z R=C S=T T=Y U=R V=M W=D X=G Y=Q Z=J
- “Our fruitless labours mourn, And only rich in barren fame return.”— Alexander Pope, 1726, The Odyssey of Homer (Pope's translation), Book X. Line 46 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=T B=U C=W D=O E=J F=H G=X H=I I=D J=A K=N L=M M=V N=R O=Z P=F Q=Y R=B S=Q T=G U=L V=S W=E X=C Y=P Z=K
- “It never was our guise to slight the poor, or aught humane despise.”— Alexander Pope, 1726, The Odyssey of Homer (Pope's translation), Book XIV. Line 65 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Y B=F C=V D=X E=B F=R G=I H=S I=N J=P K=U L=Q M=W N=C O=Z P=G Q=D R=M S=A T=E U=L V=H W=T X=O Y=J Z=K
- “One simile that solitary shines in the dry desert of a thousand lines.”— Alexander Pope, 1738, Imitations of Horace, Satires, Epistles, and Odes of Horace. Epistle I. Book II. Line 111 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Y B=D C=V D=P E=N F=M G=R H=G I=O J=F K=L L=K M=Z N=C O=Q P=T Q=X R=A S=H T=W U=E V=I W=S X=B Y=U Z=J
- “Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.”— Alexander Pope, 1727, Letter to Gay, Oct. 6, 1727 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=K B=E C=H D=X E=R F=D G=T H=W I=J J=U K=M L=Z M=A N=S O=F P=B Q=Y R=O S=I T=C U=Q V=P W=L X=N Y=V Z=G