Puzzle 1
Starter clue: E = T
MFMCWZNEEMCZCYLTMTGLTZNE,YUHXNTENAYIIEGMNUMEGYELTVCYVRMH.
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
Hard Cryptograms Set 102
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: O = A
DJLDZSOMJXIYZXNDJZAMSOY,AOIKDJMONXEVBNOYMQVEJMOXNJVLOVMB.
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 3
Starter clue: M = A
FDLUVFAKNMKZMCUVMBLUFSLQVTDRULDUMQTFDMKQFXLMNTDQVLQXMTD.
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 4
Starter clue: B = E
BLBDWFYBPRVFDYTMPYQ,TYGJFRCUBFUSBGPBPYBNPSB,SPMBJFRCMPYQR.
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: U = T
ZJUQYZFQLVVXZOUJLZKEJWKGQYMQQXYOZJUDYUUXWEKZLUABXUJEXLB.
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 6
Starter clue: B = A
BZXCAHBGNLURXXQBKAYBIAKDPNSANIQ;VTDCNDTLKPNLXTDXSBRBLQNK.
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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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 potter praises his pot, and most of all the one that is cracked.”— Italian proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=F B=X C=R D=B E=T F=V G=H H=D I=L J=Q K=G L=I M=E N=O O=W P=Z Q=J R=K S=U T=S U=N V=C W=Y X=M Y=A Z=P
- “He who made fun of the old man, laughed at first and cried afterwards.”— Spanish proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=L B=S C=Q D=H E=I F=J G=P H=Z I=U J=E K=G L=W M=D N=T O=A P=V Q=C R=X S=M T=B U=Y V=R W=K X=F Y=N Z=O
- “One should always have something sensational to read in the train.”— Oscar Wilde, 1895, The Importance of Being EarnestCipher key: A=U B=V C=Y D=N E=J F=O G=C H=F I=P J=K K=L L=E M=A N=D O=B P=Z Q=T R=G S=M T=I U=S V=H W=Q X=R Y=X Z=W
- “Every one is born a king, and most people die in exile, like most kings.”— Oscar Wilde, 1893, A Woman of No ImportanceCipher key: A=H B=E C=T D=R E=Z F=O G=D H=U I=F J=M K=W L=V M=K N=X O=Q P=I Q=G R=S S=L T=A U=P V=B W=Y X=J Y=N Z=C
- “Nothing happens to anybody which he is not fitted by nature to bear.”— Marcus Aurelius, 170, Meditations, V. 18 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=U B=R C=Z D=F E=B F=G G=W H=K I=Q J=O K=Y L=A M=C N=L O=S P=X Q=H R=J S=V T=M U=T V=P W=D X=E Y=I Z=N
- “A cow is a very good animal in the field; but we turn her out of a garden.”— Samuel Johnson, 1791, Boswell, Life of Johnson, Life of Johnson (Boswell). Vol. III. Chap. VIII. 1772 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=I B=A C=W D=T E=K F=P G=V H=S I=L J=Q K=N L=R M=Z N=E O=X P=H Q=D R=G S=F T=U U=Y V=B W=J X=O Y=M Z=C