Puzzle 1
Starter clue: I = A
JOMOICFXNSIFISZVUXCVXHZVTMT?QXUNOZCHDIZFUTICXF,-SIFZCFXNIQDM.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
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- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
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Alexander Pope Cryptograms Set 2
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: D = T
DQUKUJDXYYKUEBXZJDRERKDXMOBGXDDQUEBZO-QUBSUSERZJDUKRMDQUFXD.
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: B = T
ZHBQPT'ZXVCTHGYI,JFBQ'XBYYLQZRPTTBBYPFIHXFRA,HILBQNBHBHNNQXTTB.
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: O = E
VCONEWYJZSCWTJOUS!YZKKZNYPKPRKWVCPQO,ROVJVWUUTPGOJVWFWYMOFPR.
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: D = I
MHPLZBCWDPUDQBZPBIWDPLZC-DSTNDS!LWHAZHNLJZH'PNLWDPMDZLCYBZONVNDS.
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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Puzzle 6
Starter clue: I = O
IAQZAMYXGMMYXLTGJYGURIJJYDTLYMXILLIWAGMLYIX,ZALLIVQICGIAQOYDTL.
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)
- “Why has not man a microscopic eye? For this plain reason, - man is not a fly.”— Alexander Pope, 1734, An Essay on Man, Epistle I. Line 193 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=G B=V C=S D=L E=U F=N G=X H=P I=A J=W K=B L=D M=Y N=T O=H P=Q Q=F R=K S=M T=E U=R V=C W=Z X=O Y=J Z=I
- “There still remains to mortify a wit the many-headed monster of the pit.”— Alexander Pope, 1738, Imitations of Horace, Satires, Epistles, and Odes of Horace. Epistle I. Book II. Line 304 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=G B=A C=K D=T E=M F=P G=W H=V I=Q J=S K=R L=X M=F N=J O=Y P=Z Q=H R=O S=D T=B U=E V=U W=C X=I Y=L Z=N
- “Satire's my weapon, but I'm too discreet to run amuck, and tilt at all I meet.”— Alexander Pope, 1738, Imitations of Horace, Satires, Epistles, and Odes of Horace. Satire I. Book II. Line 69 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=K B=T C=W D=H E=G F=U G=P H=A I=N J=B K=F L=D M=V N=L O=Z P=R Q=I R=C S=J T=E U=X V=Y W=Q X=M Y=O Z=S
- “The ruins of himself! now worn away with age, yet still majestic in decay.”— Alexander Pope, 1726, The Odyssey of Homer (Pope's translation), Book XXIV. Line 271 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=B B=Q C=H D=Z E=U F=C G=J H=K I=P J=S K=W L=X M=D N=R O=E P=A Q=G R=Y S=F T=M U=L V=T W=I X=V Y=N Z=O
- “Destroy his fib or sophistry - in vain! The creature's at his dirty work again.”— Alexander Pope, 1735, Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot, Prologue to the Satires. Line 91 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=C B=O C=Y D=I E=Q F=L G=X H=E I=P J=U K=J L=T M=D N=A O=K P=S Q=B R=Z S=N T=V U=F V=G W=H X=M Y=W Z=R
- “Our business in the field of fight is not to question, but to prove our might.”— Alexander Pope, 1720, The Iliad of Homer (Pope's translation), Book XX. Line 304 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=U B=J C=V D=G E=Z F=A G=E H=W I=O J=F K=C L=T M=S N=K O=M P=Y Q=R R=D S=X T=H U=L V=P W=Q X=N Y=I Z=B