Puzzle 1
Starter clue: R = T
IJACFROKZTKTRRCFRRCZMIAQTUZKBDZXRHIJWTDV,TJKCZOBKZRKRCZBFTD.
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
Expert Cryptograms Set 66
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: X = E
WCJXHANCEPZTKYXWWKKDXHIZSVEPXVFEHW,ICPTKYJXPXDTZNEMXWNKDRXH.
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
- V
- W
- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 3
Starter clue: W = E
YNVWXLSWOUXOQWKMLUYU,FMOAMWSWNGILRGYJXQUJILVYJBRHWFMJSWUWWB.
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: L = E
ZLLUJTBLEBRMZ,QPVAWQVTJQUJTBLEBLLBZ,IAWOXJMREBTJGLWPAVKDOAEU.
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 = O
GXCJLKO,BXOJOJXCZNFWLYJKFEDWXO,GKVOJXCGKKFRTHRNKL,OJXCKAXLXKL.
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
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- Z
Puzzle 6
Starter clue: B = E
NFBVDXLEAUFXYEBRU!LAQQAVLKQKCQXNFKJB,CBNENXRRYKTBENXPXLSBPKC.
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)
- “Of what use is it that the cow gives plenty of milk, if she upsets the pail.”— German proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=W B=P C=H D=L E=X F=A G=D H=Y I=O J=F K=S L=J M=C N=R O=U P=Z Q=G R=T S=B T=I U=V V=K W=M X=N Y=Q Z=E
- “Superfluity comes sooner by white hairs, but competency lives longer.”— William Shakespeare, 1597, The Merchant of Venice, Act I. Sc. 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=F B=Z C=U D=N E=I F=A G=X H=R I=B J=P K=O L=Q M=V N=L O=D P=T Q=K R=G S=W T=C U=J V=H W=S X=E Y=M Z=Y
- “True love is like ghosts, which everybody talks about and few have seen.”— Francois de La Rochefoucauld, 1665, Maximes, 76 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=C B=N C=M D=X E=Z F=W G=Y H=F I=B J=A K=G L=O M=H N=R O=I P=Q Q=K R=D S=V T=J U=S V=U W=E X=L Y=T Z=P
- “See golden days, fruitful of golden deeds, With joy and love triumphing.”— John Milton, 1667, Paradise Lost, Book III. Line 337 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=I B=D C=Z D=P E=N F=C G=V H=K I=W J=O K=M L=E M=Y N=X O=H P=R Q=F R=A S=B T=L U=G V=U W=T X=J Y=Q Z=S
- “Fish not, with this melancholy bait, For this fool gudgeon, this opinion.”— William Shakespeare, 1597, The Merchant of Venice, Act I. Sc. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=P B=W C=S D=B E=Y F=L G=F H=D I=J J=H K=O L=N M=Q N=E O=T P=X Q=K R=G S=V T=U U=Z V=R W=A X=I Y=C Z=M
- “The ruins of himself! now worn away with age, yet still majestic in decay.”— Alexander Pope, 1726, The Odyssey of Homer (Pope's translation), Book XXIV. Line 271 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=O B=E C=Y D=U E=S F=H G=B H=P I=Z J=G K=A L=N M=X N=T O=K P=C Q=W R=L S=D T=J U=F V=R W=V X=I Y=M Z=Q