Puzzle 1
Starter clue: C = D
UWXBPCMEHTFXUB,DLXKLCXCPEMTEJVWEFEPA,MLBDEWFCLOCDOPMBCHOPTOPXCFBNEPA.
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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- T
- U
- V
- W
- X
- Y
- Z
Hard Cryptograms Set 134
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: U = E
AYJXMF,DYBMIAKJUM,XMSGYWUAF!EUXAJUOYAJKDXBFU,XMSHUFRGUMIIEXIKYBJXKEUXA.
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 3
Starter clue: P = E
AJPZCJPVHNSLTHQPHDCHECJPTHDZTKV-JHDLP,CJPBFNPAKLPNCJFZAJPZCJPBAPZCKZ.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: V = A
RJWQWADIXNFJVTSVQFJWLMYVYLMY,VYLNRTTRWAJVTWEVXRWLKQWWLMSVYLJDSVYNRO.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: C = E
GCTJOK,ZOTEGDWCTWGOMWGCXTDBCMFMQE,CILHCIFTDSGWICCWQZXCJCMJNXQCFNDCHX.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
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Puzzle 6
Starter clue: Z = E
TFUZGACIZENGFQZGXEZHBOIXQZGAFOTOZLHOSTXXS,HOSDZHIZGXKZLAFBEZSHBXJOS.
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)
- “Friend to my life, which did not you prolong, The world had wanted many an idle song.”— Alexander Pope, 1735, Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot, Prologue to the Satires. Line 27 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=G B=E C=D D=W E=O F=L G=X H=M I=Z J=U K=C L=H M=T N=S O=A P=N Q=J R=K S=V T=Y U=F V=P W=R X=I Y=Q Z=B
- “Romans, countrymen, and lovers! hear me for my cause, and be silent that you may hear.”— William Shakespeare, 1599, Julius Caesar, Act III. Sc. 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=R B=U C=J D=C E=H F=S G=L H=B I=T J=M K=Y L=Q M=N N=G O=F P=Z Q=P R=I S=D T=X U=E V=W W=V X=A Y=O Z=K
- “When the lords come out of the council-house, they are wiser than when they went in.”— German proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=W B=Y C=T D=U E=F F=A G=B H=O I=Z J=H K=I L=S M=G N=R O=V P=E Q=M R=K S=D T=C U=X V=L W=P X=J Y=Q Z=N
- “The Republic has marched on and on, and its step has exalted freedom and humanity.”— William McKinley, 1901, Second Inaugural AddressCipher key: A=P B=G C=K D=U E=X F=C G=W H=V I=B J=H K=F L=D M=O N=I O=Y P=Z Q=R R=T S=M T=S U=J V=A W=E X=L Y=N Z=Q
- “Her cap, far whiter than the driven snow, Emblems right meet of decency does yield.”— William Shenstone, 1742, The Schoolmistress, Stanza 6 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Z B=V C=E D=I E=W F=S G=H H=L I=M J=C K=P L=B M=N N=Y O=A P=Q Q=O R=X S=G T=R U=K V=J W=T X=D Y=U Z=F
- “Give thyself time to learn something new and good, and cease to be whirled around.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=H B=R C=Y D=C E=L F=I G=T H=A I=S J=U K=B L=W M=K N=F O=N P=Z Q=M R=Q S=D T=G U=V V=J W=P X=O Y=X Z=E