Puzzle 1
Starter clue: X = E
OKXZXTUBYJTVXZHYFVLZUPURHAXHVBAEZUCY,IBTZYCVSFUZXRUMX,CVSFUZXTXYXZSAXZSKRUCY.
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
Alexander Pope Cryptograms Set 10
5 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 = H
NWJJMM,FVQNVRLUMBOVMHWAQOQNQLSFQBM,LSTBMMOVPWGKVLAAOVQSKBFQOVVQBVLAJ-BVGOMXMB.
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: Q = E
SQOPXWHBBHULTVSQOPXXRQOBXHAQRKLTVQYQPSEOS;ORBOXRRKQSXRQOBZXWPHAHZPXQBYQXOUOS.
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: R = E
ORPGXC'GBNXJREJRPGAOR,PJJDNRSXQGXKGRCGR,JHRHCDNORRBXOLG,-NRPJDN,ERPFR,PCLFXUERDRCFR.
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 5
Starter clue: L = E
UKOPLYLFZOSLYVLHZYGOFJCPSOQOPZELLY,ZPLLYPLZZHKLRZLPSLZHVQOSLHKLOBBLGNLBZZPLLY.
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 (5 solutions)
- “A generous friendship no cold medium knows, Burns with one love, with one resentment glows.”— Alexander Pope, 1720, The Iliad of Homer (Pope's translation), Book IX. Line 725 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=M B=U C=W D=Z E=K F=H G=Q H=D I=B J=F K=G L=P M=V N=X O=A P=C Q=J R=L S=T T=R U=O V=I W=Y X=E Y=S Z=N
- “Coffee, which makes the politician wise, And see through all things with his half-shut eyes.”— Alexander Pope, 1714, The Rape of the Lock, Canto III. Line 117 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=L B=S C=X D=Q E=V F=W G=U H=P I=Z J=F K=G L=A M=E N=C O=T P=R Q=I R=M S=N T=D U=K V=H W=O X=Y Y=B Z=J
- “Years following years steal something every day; At last they steal us from ourselves away.”— Alexander Pope, 1738, Imitations of Horace, Satires, Epistles, and Odes of Horace. Epistle II. Book II. Line 72 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=M B=L C=Q D=Z E=D F=C G=P H=O I=J J=K K=H L=I M=B N=X O=A P=R Q=E R=T S=Y T=N U=W V=G W=F X=S Y=V Z=U
- “Reason's whole pleasure, all the joys of sense, Lie in three words, - health, peace, and competence.”— Alexander Pope, 1734, An Essay on Man, Epistle IV. Line 79 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=U B=W C=N D=T E=P F=C G=S H=I I=V J=L K=F L=D M=K N=H O=R P=A Q=Y R=E S=J T=Z U=M V=G W=X X=O Y=B Z=Q
- “While pensive poets painful vigils keep, Sleepless themselves to give their readers sleep.”— Alexander Pope, 1728, The Dunciad, Book I. Line 93 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Q B=R C=U D=X E=K F=N G=A H=T I=Y J=F K=H L=E M=C N=D O=I P=L Q=G R=M S=V T=B U=W V=O W=J X=Z Y=P Z=S