Puzzle 1
Starter clue: A = O
BABSIUNXFIP-OATFNELFEJSIJVLUJFIKLSXJNFXJSBAEHALLAEMUDVJXAPJMASOMJUEYSBAEUNFUXAEUDIKYFTFIABFYBSDIVHABVEVAE.
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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- V
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- X
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- Z
Character Cryptograms Set 17
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: L = O
VLHWLIQKLEPAQAFM,VLHWLIQKLEIFSOQK,PSVYSRFZTELWSVNOLMMAVFAQKFWQKFVZYXFWLWQKFPKSWSPQFWLEQKFESWYAVHTLTZOSQALV.
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 3
Starter clue: W = E
KYYTBUWSFXWFC,-VFJWWJ,WUWSIRAXKFQWFWPVCKFJWFLBIXWFC,WUWSIUVSCAWKFJWUWSINSAJWFCKMC,-VZPBAFJWJBFMBXNSBXVZWKFJQKSCWS.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: F = S
OVPDTQOIPTZUWFOQPXIPFOTFJWZHWQUTOK.FPAH-QPATLZJPTFTOFLDPQFTWZ.TOAWDPFZWOQPLATOTPFLZBJQPLOWQF,NIOZLUPFLZBJIFOWUF.
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 5
Starter clue: F = E
XCFXBPMLTPDXHSXFQFLFSXJPALPDHQVCHDHVXFDMSHKYNIFHDFHSFHDSFJXNFJMDFXPDFHVCHKYJXVPSVQYJMPSHSNVPYDHIFXPFSAPDVFMX.
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 6
Starter clue: Q = T
LMCYILVOOVDIJQQGMGVDFQRIWQGMVYQ,LMCYILVOOVDIJQQGMGVDFQRIWQGMDMM,DJQLMCYILYIQGFYNVQVOOVDIJQQGMGVDFQRIWQGMIPRQMZ.
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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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)
- “Popular self-government ultimately must rest upon common habits of thought and upon a reasonably developed public opinion.”— William Howard Taft, 1912, Fourth Annual Message to CongressCipher key: A=O B=P C=W D=B E=N F=E G=Q H=C I=L J=T K=Y L=M M=H N=R O=G P=F Q=K R=Z S=U T=V U=A V=I W=J X=S Y=D Z=X
- “No growth of cities, no growth of wealth, can make up for any loss in either the number or the character of the farming population.”— Theodore Roosevelt, 1907, Seventh Annual Message to CongressCipher key: A=I B=V C=D D=X E=F F=E G=Z H=G I=W J=Q K=H L=O M=S N=Y O=L P=C Q=T R=K S=A T=P U=J V=N W=R X=B Y=M Z=U
- “All government, - indeed, every human benefit and enjoyment, every virtue and every prudent act, - is founded on compromise and barter.”— Edmund Burke, 1775, Speech on Conciliation with America, Speech on the Conciliation of America. Vol. II. p. 169 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=U B=O C=T D=Z E=Q F=N G=X H=K I=Y J=D K=A L=J M=C N=P O=W P=F Q=B R=H S=R T=G U=V V=I W=E X=M Y=L Z=S
- “The virtue in most request is conformity. Self-reliance is its aversion. It loves not realities and creators, but names and customs.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841, Essays: First Series, Self-Reliance (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=L B=D C=J D=V E=W F=S G=K H=F I=U J=C K=Y L=A M=X N=B O=T P=E Q=R R=Z S=P T=I U=M V=H W=O X=Q Y=G Z=N
- “The two important elements of moral character in a judge are an earnest desire to reach a just conclusion and courage to enforce it.”— Theodore Roosevelt, 1906, Sixth Annual Message to CongressCipher key: A=F B=W C=H D=R E=Y F=E G=Q H=A I=G J=S K=J L=M M=I N=D O=B P=O Q=L R=Z S=N T=P U=K V=C W=X X=T Y=U Z=V
- “We know all about the habits of the ant, we know all about the habits of the bee, but we know nothing at all about the habits of the oyster.”— Mark Twain, 1894, The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead WilsonCipher key: A=V B=M C=K D=B E=X F=I G=H H=J I=O J=U K=D L=W M=E N=G O=L P=Y Q=T R=S S=Z T=C U=Q V=A W=F X=P Y=N Z=R