Puzzle 1
Starter clue: E = I
HEPNWGDESMPZHGFAXZXM,HEPNSNGFEPLRZFGDD,HEPNREFWXMTTEXPNMFECNP.
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 117
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: B = O
QYQCFRMNCNZYMZBOAWABQZANXBBYLWMZTBORMNETBOUWBUCMITYWMIUQERM.
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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- Y
- Z
Puzzle 3
Starter clue: H = E
DFFRGOZGLDHEHWUWGUHSNDHEWLHSBWXUEHGHEYHUSBWGLQHBAHEHAENLLHX.
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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- Y
- Z
Puzzle 4
Starter clue: W = I
RSLKVLDRPJWAIXWDEXTRVLKDTAJGWLV,RAIFMKAILGWYXFWAFTRVRHKWJWHL.
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: H = O
NWJJSRLJNWJJSRLYRZXHINXHRAGJYZDXK,QHGXHVRHDWXHGXDKLRHVIYZDXK.
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: L = E
HLZSLJZULKZULNLIMHJQKYMQHJZABOQSAZUJSFSBKJZWTQHMLLWIQNLZULL.
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)
- “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right.”— Abraham Lincoln, 1865, Second Inaugural AddressCipher key: A=D B=J C=G D=L E=I F=R G=A H=W I=U J=Q K=B L=Y M=E N=H O=P P=T Q=V R=F S=C T=S U=Z V=X W=M X=N Y=K Z=O
- “It is pleasant enough going afoot when you lead your horse by the bridle.”— French proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=G B=O C=S D=M E=D F=P G=J H=C I=B J=V K=Z L=W M=E N=A O=U P=K Q=I R=L S=X T=Y U=R V=Q W=H X=F Y=T Z=N
- “Books must be read as deliberately and reservedly as they were written.”— Henry David Thoreau, 1854, WaldenCipher key: A=W B=Y C=P D=B E=R F=O G=S H=E I=F J=C K=G L=T M=J N=I O=M P=X Q=H R=K S=L T=Q U=D V=Z W=A X=N Y=V Z=U
- “A verse may find him who a sermon flies, And turn delight into a sacrifice.”— George Herbert, 1633, The Temple, The Church Porch (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=N B=Z C=P D=M E=W F=T G=L H=C I=D J=F K=R L=E M=U N=J O=X P=Y Q=K R=A S=V T=O U=Q V=S W=I X=H Y=G Z=B
- “Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking, Morn of toil nor night of waking.”— Sir Walter Scott, 1810, The Lady of the Lake, Canto I. Stanza 31 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=B B=D C=Y D=I E=Z F=J G=R H=O I=W J=E K=G L=H M=C N=S O=X P=U Q=M R=T S=P T=V U=Q V=F W=L X=N Y=A Z=K
- “Let neither the peculiar quality of anything nor its value escape thee.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=Y B=O C=D D=K E=B F=G G=J H=L I=C J=I K=R L=E M=U N=P O=F P=X Q=A R=M S=N T=V U=H V=W W=S X=Z Y=Q Z=T