Puzzle 1
Starter clue: E = O
XLXOZHECBULEVQXBULKECECLEVKECQOZTZHOZHOZO.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
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- B
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- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
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Francois Rabelais Cryptograms Set 1
7 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: O = E
ZUWMCUZQZWLNAORS,DOAUHRRBOGOYTWLOWSSATWZ-SYOO.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
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- O
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Puzzle 3
Starter clue: K = E
QTKOKBBHTJFDAKJSF,DASLFLQQAOKXLBBKZULQTXJLSUASZF.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: G = E
DPYFKGVJKBEABFREPSAJGCGEAGUBABPR,FTTIBVHGUFRUVYTTGU.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
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- D
- E
- F
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- I
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: D = T
KVXWQFDDRTEZJHRAHZKQTKQ,OUZFUTDDUTDDZBQDUQLFTPPQHPTFERABRJQL.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
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Puzzle 6
Starter clue: H = E
TLZLWCHNJHEHAQIWJWHNNFLPQHYHIZFSLYHWQIZJVJWAHYHBLSHWINHLVIWPC.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
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Puzzle 7
Starter clue: N = O
YNIAYZCCPROZRCODNLECONQOLNDYOLA,DYZDYZQOFNDSECCUNIOLZFTGNHHZFTNSHWAOCS?
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
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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 (7 solutions)
- “It is enough to fright you out of your seven senses.”— Francois Rabelais, 1564, Works, Book V, Chapter XV (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=C B=G C=U D=J E=O F=Z G=X H=N I=K J=W K=Y L=T M=A N=D O=S P=L Q=R R=M S=B T=V U=H V=F W=P X=I Y=Q Z=E
- “Thought I to myself, we shall never come off scot-free.”— Francois Rabelais, 1564, Works, Book V, Chapter XV (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=S B=N C=G D=W E=Z F=D G=V H=A I=B J=P K=X L=M M=U N=Y O=E P=Q Q=I R=L S=F T=C U=H V=J W=O X=K Y=R Z=T
- “The belly has no ears, nor is it to be filled with fair words.”— Francois Rabelais, 1552, Works, Book IV, Chap. LXII (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=O B=L C=J D=N E=K F=S G=Q H=Y I=U J=A K=E L=I M=X N=V O=B P=C Q=T R=M S=R T=H U=W V=G W=P X=F Y=Z Z=D
- “You are Christians of the best edition, all picked and culled.”— Francois Rabelais, 1552, Works, Book IV, Chap. L (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=T B=I C=B D=Y E=S F=A G=E H=K I=P J=H K=R L=W M=Q N=V O=Z P=O Q=X R=N S=F T=L U=D V=C W=M X=J Y=U Z=G
- “Subject to a kind of disease, which at that time they called lack of money.”— Francois Rabelais, 1532, Pantagruel (Works, Book II), Chap. XVI (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=F B=M C=X D=T E=K F=C G=Q H=D I=Z J=N K=S L=Y M=V N=R O=W P=L Q=E R=O S=P T=A U=H V=U W=J X=B Y=G Z=I
- “Do not believe what I tell you here any more than if it were some tale of a tub.”— Francois Rabelais, 1552, Works, Book IV, Chap. xxxviii (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=W B=S C=B D=P E=V F=Y G=Q H=E I=A J=I K=X L=O M=J N=L O=G P=U Q=H R=C S=M T=D U=K V=F W=T X=Z Y=R Z=N
- “How shall I be able to rule over others, that have not full power and command of myself?”— Francois Rabelais, 1534, Gargantua (Works, Book I), Chap. LII (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=S B=G C=L D=T E=U F=N G=C H=M I=W J=Q K=X L=R M=Z N=O O=E P=I Q=V R=B S=F T=D U=P V=J W=Y X=K Y=H Z=A