Puzzle 1
Starter clue: R = A
LNLBFYRUWROPWGOVRKKAXPWLIAZLBPAMAOAYLZWRPHUGTHL,RUMUAYRUWRORUFAPWLBVRKK.
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 20
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: H = E
DCQLNHXFHJDFQUWYHQFPHFPJHNOHX,CDXUWYHJQVCQRHJVFLUXPHVHNBFFUJCDXMUCZACQHJ.
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: Y = E
SBYVZZYWYKANPYLSNQBVLEKNPCUCOVCUSX,NLDYLNQUSXUCRYVOSO,UOVANPYLRYBUCKSBYYXY.
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
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- U
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- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 4
Starter clue: I = T
IQJXNQIWRIQCHOJHCOIFJAQWDYQJZELCLICOIEWLWI,ELTJAQWDYQJZELETCKXEICVFHVEZCWI.
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: V = E
SVHVZFRDINNDMRBKXDLLYZXVNOVX,IBGDMIDSMREMSVEINNXRBRBLDMVZXRXVPHVZRFVBDALZYX.
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
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- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 6
Starter clue: K = N
YOYLKENKOQOXBSLKLGWKUGWUNZ;YOZLKKWERLXAWKEIOLFTOKZOWMNE,FCENESCTEKWEFOTRWJOK.
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)
- “Every man has this call of the power to do somewhat unique, and no man has any other call.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841, Essays: First SeriesCipher key: A=O B=R C=J D=X E=G F=Y G=I H=U I=P J=Z K=L L=E M=D N=V O=S P=T Q=K R=A S=B T=Q U=N V=C W=H X=F Y=M Z=W
- “Nature does not like to be observed, and likes that we should be her fools and playmates.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844, Essays: Second SeriesCipher key: A=M B=F C=A D=N E=Z F=O G=X H=E I=Q J=S K=C L=U M=P N=R O=V P=B Q=T R=W S=G T=J U=L V=H W=I X=D Y=K Z=Y
- “The alleged power to charm down insanity, or ferocity in beasts, is a power behind the eye.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1860, The Conduct of Life, Behaviour (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=P B=H C=N D=F E=M F=K G=V H=X I=Q J=U K=D L=R M=J N=O O=S P=W Q=C R=B S=T T=Z U=I V=A W=G X=Y Y=E Z=L
- “Thought is the property of him who can entertain it, and of him who can adequately place it.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1850, Representative Men, Shakespeare (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=F B=J C=E D=M E=A F=Y G=B H=P I=T J=O K=Q L=N M=Z N=G O=R P=V Q=H R=S S=X T=D U=K V=L W=I X=U Y=W Z=C
- “We permit all things to ourselves, and that which we call sin in others is experiment for us.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844, Essays: Second SeriesCipher key: A=F B=N C=Z D=T E=C F=M G=D H=P I=A J=Y K=G L=O M=H N=L O=V P=X Q=J R=I S=W T=K U=B V=E W=Q X=S Y=U Z=R
- “We want in every man a long logic; we cannot pardon the absence of it, but it must not be spoken.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841, Essays: First SeriesCipher key: A=D B=Y C=U D=Q E=T F=B G=L H=J I=H J=K K=N L=A M=F N=I O=E P=X Q=V R=P S=M T=S U=G V=Z W=O X=R Y=W Z=C