Puzzle 1
Starter clue: D = A
DSDFAHDXSQDSFLQUDQPLMXSEIXQUDFNOZVXOLSQXEEHBLQNCLKLVNZXSQNDBLDVYBXLSCEUXZ.
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 148
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: R = E
PHRZRIJWQXIVRZYQBVAZJKJDYURYVWUTZJEQ,OWIZQEVCBJZRDJSR,EVCBJZRIRQRZCURZCHDJEQ.
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
Starter clue: G = N
GPGZPESJOVGWVIZVJHVGTIUCFSZJVJFWZEPSGFVUG-MZG,PCWVKEUFJOSJJZQGZJJ;DSFAZOVGFCT.
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
Starter clue: H = E
CXHTFKJXBSHDPCXHSHWOXDIJDAKRBVRAWZCDCXHQJPQJTCPFARC,FWKOQCXHJHKQWCXHQJIJQKH.
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
Starter clue: V = T
VKNROIEPSAVKILGGPRODVKVKIVDWI,SMXVKIREDZDVRGLVKIODRIRDVDMVKIYPGNXRSMXWGYUNR.
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
Starter clue: S = N
LTLRSNFSTCTYKXRSRJASBJABFZ;LTZRSSANIRYOASNWTRGPTSZTAVFN,GDNFNXDPNSANGTPIAETS.
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)
Want this on its own sheet? Print the letter frequency chart.
Show the answer key (6 solutions)
- “An acquaintance that begins with a compliment is sure to develop into a real friendship.”— Oscar Wilde, 1895, An Ideal HusbandCipher key: A=Q B=R C=D D=A E=S F=C G=Y H=U I=W J=X K=V L=E M=G N=O O=M P=B Q=T R=Z S=N T=K U=H V=L W=J X=I Y=F Z=P
- “A generous friendship no cold medium knows, Burns with one love, with one resentment glows.”— Alexander Pope, 1720, The Iliad of Homer (Pope's translation), Book IX. Line 725 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=P B=H C=T D=L E=W F=Y G=Z H=G I=R J=O K=C L=J M=X N=Q O=B P=A Q=S R=E S=V T=K U=M V=I W=U X=F Y=D Z=N
- “None of us can have as many virtues as the fountain-pen, or half its cussedness; but we can try.”— Mark Twain, 1897, Following the EquatorCipher key: A=W B=X C=R D=B E=F F=T G=N H=M I=V J=S K=L L=Z M=P N=G O=C P=O Q=D R=J S=U T=Y U=I V=A W=H X=K Y=Q Z=E
- “The sad rhyme of the men who proudly clung to their first fault, and withered in their pride.”— Robert Browning, 1835, Paracelsus, Part IV (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=U B=Y C=T D=O E=Q F=A G=X H=E I=P J=R K=D L=J M=B N=Z O=W P=F Q=I R=L S=M T=S U=K V=C W=N X=H Y=V Z=G
- “Thus we play the fools with the time, and the spirits of the wise sit in the clouds and mock us.”— William Shakespeare, 1598, King Henry IV, Part II, Act II. Sc. 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Y B=J C=B D=I E=P F=V G=O H=Z I=E J=Q K=H L=F M=N N=U O=W P=L Q=X R=S S=A T=G U=K V=T W=M X=D Y=C Z=R
- “We want in every man a long logic; we cannot pardon the absence of it, but it must not be spoken.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841, Essays: First SeriesCipher key: A=O B=G C=V D=U E=K F=I G=B H=Z I=P J=L K=Y L=W M=X N=T O=D P=S Q=J R=A S=N T=E U=Q V=F W=H X=M Y=R Z=C