Puzzle 1
Starter clue: M = T
OMOKVKOLNQKKOTJRHQYVLVGMQTRBERVMRZTXVGXQGRTAMEOLKRJH,VKHQYVMEOGCMQTRVGZGQMMQTRVMMERKVLRMOLR.
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
Easy Cryptograms Set 39
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: C = E
PLTIRCTZFEMSTZC,OLUPCBCJTPJCUHHVTI,AEZITIPIEMUHTPPHCMHCIL,UHTPPHCRJCUPL,UZGPLCWUJPOLTALFEBCJZI.
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 = N
KBMQMZKHJFKLSQDKSJFJIWJYMLFUMFKCSMZSFMFHJDLOWMUMFKJIKBSZYJCDFKOLPHJJEMLOKSJFSFKBMHJUUDFSKP.
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
CWRDRKPQZBWFDFBCRD,WZNPZRARDLZZSFQSOKQR,GXCKCBFQGRSRPCDZURSGUDKSKBXVR,WZNPZRARDYZZDFQSNKCVRPP.
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: A = I
VSMNMAZZGOMGWVSMZXOMWAVDMZZADXOXD'ZTPARHADISAZGEDSGPZMVSXVVSMNMAZADXTANH'ZTPARHADIAVZGEDDMZV.
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 6
Starter clue: I = E
HDIUIJHIIRHDMJUMEHDIUIJHIIRHDMJUXJAHMNI,MWXELIHDXHXUIJHRINXJLIIEMJXFBJFXHIJXHMBJXFFBVGMJURA.
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 (6 solutions)
- “It is as impossible for a man to be cheated by any one but himself, as for a thing to be and not to be at the same time.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841, Essays: First Series, Compensation (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=U B=C C=G D=X E=H F=W G=N H=F I=V J=L K=S L=M M=T N=P O=I P=Q Q=O R=E S=K T=B U=Z V=A W=J X=Y Y=R Z=D
- “This being of mine, whatever it really is, consists of a little flesh, a little breath, and the part which governs.”— Marcus Aurelius, 170, Meditations, II. 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=C B=V C=E D=X E=O F=G G=D H=L I=S J=R K=Z L=H M=F N=Q O=W P=T Q=J R=B S=M T=I U=A V=Y W=P X=K Y=U Z=N
- “The best contribution of government lies in encouragement of this voluntary cooperation in the community.”— Herbert Hoover, 1930, State of the Union AddressCipher key: A=Z B=H C=L D=U E=P F=N G=W H=C I=F J=O K=T L=R M=E N=D O=A P=Y Q=B R=X S=I T=Q U=M V=K W=G X=J Y=V Z=S
- “There is no character, howsoever good and fine, but it can be destroyed by ridicule, howsoever poor and witless.”— Mark Twain, 1894, The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead WilsonCipher key: A=V B=C C=T D=R E=M F=A G=B H=X I=Q J=K K=I L=G M=J N=W O=F P=S Q=N R=E S=D T=Z U=Y V=L W=H X=U Y=P Z=O
- “There is some of the same fitness in a man's building his own house that there is in a bird's building its own nest.”— Henry David Thoreau, 1854, WaldenCipher key: A=I B=Z C=K D=N E=W F=P G=O H=D I=G J=X K=Q L=J M=E N=R O=M P=U Q=Y R=L S=H T=B U=V V=T W=F X=A Y=C Z=S
- “The genteel thing is the genteel thing any time, if as be that a gentleman bees in a concatenation accordingly.”— Oliver Goldsmith, 1773, She Stoops to Conquer, Act I (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Y B=O C=K D=H E=S F=C G=D H=T I=E J=N K=X L=B M=I N=M O=J P=Q Q=Z R=L S=U T=V U=G V=R W=F X=A Y=P Z=W