Puzzle 1
Starter clue: B = O
ZRRMBGNMRGBKEYFNZARNRKWTZKRGWKYZ!WCBXNMBOOKBEFPZ,WTBEYWVRBOPWKYZ.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
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Alexander Pope Cryptograms Set 3
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: N = E
HWNVQRNBWQAWLHWNKTSZGVNHOTDNTHLB,ZFXJQUNHLRZINBWZHBNHLFZHOKNLBN.
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: S = E
YMJSYPSLKSYTGUSZYYPBGZIOKSCBSKX,YLVHPZYYPSMOSF,HPZYYPSNMESLYVBSKX.
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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- O
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: B = S
SEBDUVDFEJBBDZUCDFZLJREJNB,EJTVK;HUJDFWLWPEDRJLDZFLBERPWLBXZPBUJK.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: S = E
SPAOSYSFXKKHAEOSSVEHNWTTBUOTBEMS;SPAOSYSFXKYHKMTKMEOATWSKSOHNEFS.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
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Puzzle 6
Starter clue: A = R
BGAQABFQX,YBLAJBGSUEOAQYEUOJBXF,WMALFRHOJXLEUAQWIHLSUEEUOJOXIHBXF.
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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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)
- “See how the world its veterans rewards! A youth of frolics, an old age of cards.”— Alexander Pope, 1735, Moral Essays, Epistle II. Line 243 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=V B=O C=Y D=J E=L F=I G=W H=Z I=K J=P K=R L=B M=H N=T O=F P=C Q=M R=E S=X T=N U=Q V=G W=A X=U Y=D Z=S
- “The life which others pay let us bestow, And give to fame what we to nature owe.”— Alexander Pope, 1720, The Iliad of Homer (Pope's translation), Book XII. Line 393 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=C B=W C=X D=B E=Z F=N G=Y H=T I=M J=G K=R L=O M=K N=E O=U P=Q Q=I R=F S=P T=S U=V V=L W=H X=D Y=J Z=A
- “Together let us beat this ample field, Try what the open, what the covert yield.”— Alexander Pope, 1734, An Essay on Man, Epistle I. Line 9 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Z B=I C=F D=J E=V F=N G=S H=W I=M J=G K=L L=R M=O N=C O=P P=H Q=K R=Q S=E T=U U=B V=Y W=X X=D Y=T Z=A
- “Most authors steal their works, or buy; Garth did not write his own Dispensary.”— Alexander Pope, 1711, An Essay on Criticism, Part III. Line 59 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=F B=S C=L D=T E=O F=H G=C H=G I=X J=R K=Y L=I M=Z N=K O=Q P=N Q=V R=W S=M T=B U=A V=U W=D X=P Y=J Z=E
- “Extremes in Nature equal good produce; Extremes in man concur to general use.”— Alexander Pope, 1735, Moral Essays, Epistle III. Line 161 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=T B=D C=H D=K E=U F=S G=V H=A I=J J=W K=N L=Y M=C N=L O=R P=X Q=Z R=B S=E T=O U=P V=Q W=G X=I Y=M Z=F
- “Aurora now, fair daughter of the dawn, Sprinkled with rosy light the dewy lawn.”— Alexander Pope, 1720, The Iliad of Homer (Pope's translation), Book VIII. Line 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=R B=A C=Z D=Q E=T F=N G=U H=L I=Y J=D K=C L=I M=P N=V O=E P=M Q=O R=K S=G T=X U=H V=J W=S X=W Y=F Z=B