Puzzle 1
Starter clue: P = S
ANYPYHKWPNGZCPMKKYBPGVBYKBVGNWPPYHKWPNCYPPANZCNYKBVGQNVGANZAPYHKWPNCYPPQWANNVHJPPVGYWGUVBAZCAIYCYKWA.
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 28
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: J = E
PJMBPSZIPJRNWI,ZGMAZOOUIFEISJFJWIGZRJWPJAZG,ZGMPBNOMQZUGSZDJISJCYZUWJBQSZDUGHUGIJGMJMISJYJWNOIPSUASJGWNJW.
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: L = E
HVLMURLYRVJWVYLCJSLCJZVJFJCZLRJZZBHIYL,BZSZUZLQIHVLPZURCRVBHHVBHJCRVJWVVLWBZSU,ZUYSULCVLPZURIZHJNVLVBCHYJLS.
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
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: C = T
GQWFGYEJCKAQLCKWQCKHCNGGJCKGYNKCFGYEJOWHXTHSAEAHVHXHAVHQJFHCWV,HQJCKWNATCXGTWHRKQWFKGYVFGYEJWDREYJWCKWEHXC.
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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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: U = A
UHHZFPWPDKDZFPXMQHBVUDDMZWUJPUYZUZOPXUHJUDBYCPUJ,VUDDMZWUJPUBQMCMIGHMMB,MQUGHUBPMISQUYY,UDTWMQPZFUDMDPWUDVUD.
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: N = E
OTNKNZWQHOTZQMWHUHQFNKCABZQDQGJDKOZLABDKBDQFWLDJNDWOTNQNLNWWZOGHCENZQMENDAOZCABAQFNKUTZLTNXNKGBDQFWLDJNBZNW.
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)
- “The selfish man suffers more from his selfishness than he from whom that selfishness withholds some important benefit.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844, Essays: Second SeriesCipher key: A=T B=R C=N D=X E=J F=G G=M H=L I=B J=D K=F L=C M=U N=H O=K P=S Q=W R=Y S=Z T=Q U=P V=O W=I X=V Y=E Z=A
- “We do what we must, and call it by the best names we can, and would fain have the praise of having intended the result which ensues.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844, Essays: Second SeriesCipher key: A=C B=O C=P D=V E=Y F=B G=N H=G I=T J=E K=J L=X M=D N=U O=L P=W Q=F R=M S=H T=Z U=I V=K W=S X=Q Y=R Z=A
- “The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841, Essays: First SeriesCipher key: A=V B=A C=S D=G E=F F=M G=J H=T I=U J=I K=Q L=E M=P N=L O=Z P=K Q=B R=W S=D T=X U=O V=H W=C X=Y Y=R Z=N
- “One would think then that good thought would be as familiar as air and water, and the gifts of each new hour would exclude the last.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841, Essays: First SeriesCipher key: A=I B=P C=T D=X E=L F=W G=O H=A I=J J=D K=H L=K M=Y N=G O=B P=V Q=N R=C S=M T=F U=Z V=R W=E X=S Y=U Z=Q
- “All the men in the world cannot make a statue walk and speak, cannot make a drop of blood, or a blade of grass, any more than one man can.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844, Essays: Second SeriesCipher key: A=Q B=D C=P D=N E=X F=H G=B H=L I=F J=K K=I L=V M=O N=J O=U P=E Q=R R=Z S=G T=Y U=A V=C W=M X=W Y=S Z=T
- “There is nothing so wonderful in any particular landscape as the necessity of being beautiful under which every landscape lies.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844, Essays: Second SeriesCipher key: A=U B=L C=F D=A E=B F=D G=Y H=O I=J J=P K=R L=C M=G N=E O=T P=M Q=N R=K S=Q T=H U=W V=Z W=S X=V Y=X Z=I