Puzzle 1
Starter clue: A = E
LILRILH,MSPAQREBKRENPEBNEKLDALKPACANK,QAAUPMKREKANENPACVMRGKNERA.
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
Benjamin Franklin Cryptograms Set 3
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: J = T
YLTJJSLNVLBPVUZP?JSPCYLCLJTMNFCYPEJUAP,ZLEJSFJUTJSPTJNZZVUZPUTAFYPLZ.
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: H = T
ZGIMKPMKJEXMHDCGMTLMHHCXOVVMMXOVIMKOTCECOEOXETMHHCX,CZHACTPTZHCHAZXLVPMTHATCOEZXL,MTEMHAZXLVPMTHAHACPTZHZXL.
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: B = A
NZWZDRPERPKOQHREBHOZHFRDENBYTRMYZWUYDEUKKMBDRJEBMNUHCYRH.JRWBYNRPMBHOKZBCPZMNBIZHZBWKDYNZMBVZZJJZLYEUYNBYNRPMBHODZBWM.
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
FIAJJILRLBILZJEFXWULLVEADZCALS:SKUTFRJKSFRFAIJCLDCKLTFDIKDJ;SKUTFRJKSFDCKLJCLCKUDLTFDIKDJ;FRVSKUTFRJKSFCKUDLJCLUAVLUTFDIKDJ.
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 man may, if he knows not how to save as he gets, keep his nose to the grindstone.”— Benjamin Franklin, 1757, The Way to Wealth (Poor Richard, 1758), Maxims prefixed to Poor Richard's Almanac, 1757 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=E B=W C=G D=V E=O F=U G=D H=Y I=M J=Q K=S L=A M=I N=T O=L P=H Q=K R=N S=F T=X U=P V=R W=J X=C Y=Z Z=B
- “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.”— Benjamin Franklin, 1746, Poor Richard's AlmanackCipher key: A=M B=V C=N D=X E=R F=A G=W H=K I=B J=T K=C L=O M=Q N=U O=G P=E Q=P R=Z S=H T=S U=I V=L W=Y X=J Y=D Z=F
- “If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing.”— Benjamin Franklin, 1738, Poor Richard's AlmanackCipher key: A=H B=X C=E D=B E=D F=M G=F H=T I=Y J=L K=U L=G M=O N=Q O=A P=W Q=J R=V S=Z T=R U=C V=S W=K X=N Y=P Z=I
- “Here you would know and enjoy what posterity will say of Washington. For a thousand leagues have nearly the same effect with a thousand years.”— Benjamin Franklin, 1780, Letter to Washington, March 5, 1780 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Z B=A C=G D=Y E=W F=J G=Q H=N I=V J=F K=L L=C M=S N=H O=D P=U Q=K R=O S=X T=P U=I V=M W=R X=B Y=T Z=E
- “A little neglect may breed mischief: for want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the rider was lost.”— Benjamin Franklin, 1757, The Way to Wealth (Poor Richard, 1758), Maxims prefixed to Poor Richard's Almanac, 1757 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=I B=G C=H D=S E=M F=A G=X H=P I=L J=T K=O L=E M=Z N=V O=U P=Q Q=J R=N S=F T=W U=R V=D W=B X=Y Y=K Z=C