Puzzle 1
Starter clue: B = O
DXDOPNDYIOJAZBTGZADWPBON,DLOBWBTGBBWN,KVBNZTABKZGDOJTGIPWDRZPNWVZKBGAJ.
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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Ralph Waldo Emerson Cryptograms Set 19
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: W = E
HPWILLUWRHWBIWUXWDGWXRUXGPWDLOSPTLUQFFHPWIOUILRWRLTWBIUWRRXDSHPLOSPH.
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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Puzzle 3
Starter clue: U = O
FOPCLKVUIXRPRJRPOJRSIOKUGORLUJQUGKVOTVUYTOUQVYLXRYIBTGRQKUGNGUQOLLYUJ.
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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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: R = T
GHMCMJDAKYNWWXWGQMRXAGCDXNHRKRAXZMPCXJRKHJKRXD,IKYNWJKRRAGDSXGJVYDRGQX?
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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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: K = A
ENCHMCRPMSTLRZMNKMKFCXEKJDBRICXRPCTKDFJBKEJRDKDOCYNJZKXKEJRDPRXKZZTCD.
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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Puzzle 6
Starter clue: K = A
KUKAJKAFAHTMCSKYMFHFAZKMRSQFSMAFOVSSHRPMMCSSJROFGSCKDOPKHKAQPAKQSLXKOS.
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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- R
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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)
- “A man is a bundle of relations, a knot of roots, whose flower and fruitage is the world.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841, Essays: First Series, History (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=L B=O C=Z D=A E=C F=Y G=R H=P I=U J=D K=W L=K M=Q N=S O=N P=I Q=V R=G S=J T=F U=X V=H W=T X=M Y=B Z=E
- “The poorest experience is rich enough for all the purposes of expressing thought.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844, Essays: Second SeriesCipher key: A=W B=X C=Z D=N E=Q F=L G=C H=T I=P J=V K=J L=O M=Y N=K O=U P=H Q=A R=S S=G T=F U=R V=D W=E X=I Y=M Z=B
- “We must hold a man amenable to reason for the choice of his daily craft or profession.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841, Essays: First SeriesCipher key: A=G B=Y C=U D=X E=V F=W G=R H=Z I=L J=N K=T L=S M=K N=P O=E P=M Q=F R=A S=B T=C U=O V=H W=Q X=D Y=I Z=J
- “If a man should dedicate himself to the payment of notes, would not this be injustice?”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841, Essays: First SeriesCipher key: A=H B=G C=M D=S E=R F=Z G=I H=F I=W J=N K=O L=K M=A N=L O=Q P=Y Q=C R=T S=B T=X U=V V=J W=D X=E Y=U Z=P
- “The use of symbols has a certain power of emancipation and exhilaration for all men.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844, Essays: Second SeriesCipher key: A=K B=P C=E D=N E=T F=C G=Z H=U I=W J=I K=A L=B M=S N=H O=D P=F Q=G R=O S=Y T=M U=V V=J W=Q X=R Y=X Z=L
- “A man can only speak so long as he does not feel his speech to be partial and inadequate.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844, Essays: Second SeriesCipher key: A=N B=W C=P D=R E=V F=O G=B H=L I=J J=C K=A L=Q M=S N=X O=T P=I Q=D R=H S=E T=Y U=M V=F W=Z X=U Y=K Z=G