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 1
Hard · 42 letters
Starter clue: R = T
NYXNIMUZBYGEZRREYRNZWTG,ZGXIURNVIKTUYPRIWYG.
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 2
Hard · 42 letters
Starter clue: P = O
JKEHWCSWNSJCIPXZCPHMWPHPODJFSJHKPECPXCVMKO.
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
Expert · 42 letters
Starter clue: T = E
RJTYZTGRTDRQPBOHTZPZWDJTLJPQPBOHTZDJWCDTIU.
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 4
Medium · 42 letters
Starter clue: K = O
KCSTKSNFDKKAVCH,VCJVGRCJPSJTPNSCJFVPSDKKTSY.
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 5
Expert · 43 letters
Starter clue: D = H
DZUDBDPOBXYZLTEXJDKOQBTJD,PHUPGOLHBUODKOOBTM.
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 6
Hard · 43 letters
Starter clue: D = E
BZDTRNVOGKFDBEXVTACQD,BNUDVGDEXCVWDQBATVWNVO.
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)
“He who prizes little things, is worthy of great ones.”— German proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=V B=Z C=U D=B E=L F=D G=S H=M I=O J=K K=F L=X M=P N=H O=C P=A Q=J R=T S=Q T=G U=R V=Y W=N X=W Y=E Z=I
“A hundred years of wrong do not make an hour of right.”— German proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=P B=X C=R D=M E=U F=K G=C H=N I=S J=A K=H L=V M=G N=Y O=T P=O Q=Z R=Q S=E T=J U=L V=I W=D X=F Y=B Z=W
“The greatest conqueror is he who conquers himself.”— German proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=B B=N C=M D=S E=V F=Z G=A H=U I=L J=H K=J L=W M=X N=P O=Q P=O Q=C R=T S=Y T=E U=F V=K W=I X=D Y=G Z=R
“One foe is too many, and a hundred friends are too few.”— German proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=M B=L C=N D=T E=V F=S G=H H=Y I=Z J=D K=O L=G M=B N=I O=K P=R Q=C R=U S=E T=F U=P V=A W=Q X=J Y=W Z=X
“He who has once burnt his mouth, always blows his soup.”— German proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=Q B=O C=Z D=H E=R F=J G=Y H=L I=D J=T K=I L=B M=P N=K O=S P=A Q=M R=G S=V T=U U=W V=F W=X X=N Y=C Z=E
“Speaking comes by nature, silence by understanding.”— German proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=T B=S C=U D=E E=B F=M G=C H=Q I=H J=W K=O L=Z M=F N=I O=G P=J Q=R R=K S=V T=A U=L V=N W=D X=Y Y=X Z=P