Puzzle 1
Starter clue: H = E
GIWFQKWHYAVHYHKRHQ;KPFGNHWHENHZTIQEKLISPF,TSONCWSAEICQHPQHLHPHKENAQWKWHYZCISPF.
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 11
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: M = E
XEVVHEPVBEXNDMXVJMMXEBDEZPHMGNJVWEZKUBQGPM,-PZWJDMXQPKGSMGXVJMPMUMNMXMBQVMUQOP.
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: F = E
LDFJFOCDFSKDEYKDLDYEQLHFSBUMUGQXDUVAFKOKDUVBFO'ZYLZHUOVGDFZIFOHFMVQEQLCFKMBOLZVLKD.
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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- T
- U
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- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 4
Starter clue: H = T
HYBICRPQGSKBFKB,HYFHWRKHKRDGRBFHNBPQHY,QECZKZSHYYSKQECZHY,FPGKHEBPQHYBPKZSHYYSKKHEBPQHY.
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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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: B = N
YKVBOBZF,AHFAPHBIKMOMZHBIVAZHFVYKVBNBR;VBIJKTJZOKQHOFNVB'OOZOHAPNYKPXAVI,NFNOBZFCZKFMX,AHFCMZOKMHBYVI.
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)
- “Words are like leaves; and where they most abound, Much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found.”— Alexander Pope, 1711, An Essay on Criticism, Part II. Line 109 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=I B=X C=F D=P E=T F=D G=W H=E I=O J=Q K=A L=B M=G N=H O=C P=N Q=S R=V S=U T=M U=J V=K W=R X=Z Y=L Z=Y
- “Not two strong men the enormous weight could raise, - Such men as live in these degenerate days.”— Alexander Pope, 1720, The Iliad of Homer (Pope's translation), Book V. Line 371 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Z B=R C=F D=M E=O F=P G=I H=W I=X J=H K=L L=B M=E N=G O=Y P=S Q=A R=Q S=V T=K U=D V=T W=C X=N Y=J Z=U
- “I never knew any man in my life who could not bear another's misfortunes perfectly like a Christian.”— Alexander Pope, 1727, Thoughts on Various Subjects (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=B B=H C=K D=N E=Y F=E G=U H=F I=P J=V K=A L=I M=C N=Z O=R P=X Q=L R=G S=W T=J U=O V=T W=Q X=D Y=M Z=S
- “The young disease, that must subdue at length, Grows with his growth, and strengthens with his strength.”— Alexander Pope, 1734, An Essay on Man, Epistle II. Line 135 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Q B=E C=O D=B E=R F=A G=D H=T I=Y J=V K=S L=K M=J N=L O=F P=N Q=G R=U S=I T=C U=Z V=X W=M X=P Y=H Z=W
- “Means not, but blunders round about a meaning; And he whose fustian's so sublimely bad, It is not poetry, but prose run mad.”— Alexander Pope, 1735, Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot, Prologue to the Satires. Line 186 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=B B=N C=P D=V E=X F=T G=K H=U I=D J=H K=E L=Q M=R N=I O=S P=L Q=F R=G S=Z T=W U=J V=A W=C X=Y Y=M Z=O