Puzzle 1
Starter clue: H = E
UHQEHQAANOEAMZHRMGHEHQTMYBRKHXNIMNODDHYDHNZRKMDZMEDRNZZNEGD.
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
Ralph Waldo Emerson Cryptograms Set 14
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: P = T
PYRPLUXPLTXRBBUPHGDTUZJ;VRXPUNTUXPLTSWWIUNSPUHZHGUPPHSGGSUYX.
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
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- U
- V
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- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 3
Starter clue: V = E
TGVSTVIVVRGVNKSFEVMKMTVUKSKRRGOSXPENGKWBSJKSVHBRRYVKMIENNVII.
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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- X
- Y
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: X = E
MXBIWUXCENMVBINMCEMXBIQUVDACEKUX,CAZNMVAXJXUUXDBAZIKIVQVEMXUI.
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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- U
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- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 5
Starter clue: B = O
MOSBDLPRZMCRSBDZMXXIPRLILEPBCERPMJSZAMUABQXSXBLICSBDZMJAHBPR.
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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- U
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- X
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- Z
Puzzle 6
Starter clue: U = E
RUPNMMZVINMSKRZHSQROVWMNVLHU,ZHSUNDROVWWUHNQRUSUNDROVWJUHQZMQ.
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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- 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)
- “We are all our lifetime reading the copious sense of this first of forms.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841, Essays: First SeriesCipher key: A=L B=G C=B D=S E=R F=X G=M H=E I=P J=Q K=H L=K M=I N=O O=U P=Z Q=A R=T S=Y T=D U=W V=J W=V X=C Y=N Z=F
- “Truth is the summit of being; justice is the application of it to affairs.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844, Essays: Second SeriesCipher key: A=K B=M C=V D=B E=X F=Z G=F H=O I=L J=G K=Q L=H M=Y N=C O=W P=T Q=D R=U S=A T=E U=I V=J W=P X=S Y=R Z=N
- “When we see the conqueror we do not think much of any one battle or success.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841, Essays: First SeriesCipher key: A=J B=A C=V D=Z E=U F=Q G=H H=B I=S J=Y K=O L=P M=R N=C O=I P=M Q=X R=T S=N T=W U=D V=E W=F X=K Y=L Z=G
- “He is great who is what he is from Nature, and who never reminds us of others.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1850, Representative Men, Uses of Great Men (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=N B=I C=A D=M E=T F=K G=J H=B I=S J=V K=U L=X M=H N=W O=L P=C Q=F R=Y S=Z T=Q U=R V=O W=G X=E Y=P Z=D
- “If you are wise you will dread a prosperity which only loads you with more.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841, Essays: First SeriesCipher key: A=H B=O C=S D=U E=P F=K G=X H=M I=D J=T K=V L=A M=I N=G O=F P=R Q=N R=E S=Y T=Q U=C V=Z W=B X=L Y=J Z=W
- “We cannot bandy words with Nature, or deal with her as we deal with persons.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844, Essays: Second SeriesCipher key: A=Z B=J C=G D=L E=V F=Q G=F H=R I=B J=P K=Y L=U M=N N=A O=I P=C Q=S R=W S=D T=X U=E V=T W=H X=K Y=M Z=O