Puzzle 1
Starter clue: V = E
KNVVPYVWKGUWFGUXZAEVALKNVLGJZEKGKV,KNVCSGEEALLGENJAUGUXKNVDAOSXALLAZD,KNVATEVZBVXALGSSATEVZBVZE!
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 157
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 = I
RLZHQGRVRNZHQOLORDWS,XTZWDDSZHQJBHCHPREDLHOWHNTJGRWPGRVRNDSTRK,JWSXJVNDTRVNRKDJWSSDLJIDZHQOHXWJIN?
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 3
Starter clue: B = E
OBBWTEVZJEGNJYQSBO,PGVOGQSCOVSEGUCLBOVFBVRGOVHL,GOBOEPBJHL,NYOVJYPGVBQSBBJKGHHL,CTNHBCXBQETVBTVBNHL.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
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- M
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: Q = I
DUHJTZHOQBZOQBSICIJCEQLQNQFOZQIBZKUOPUMJOZUHOZUCQONAOTQTDQZKIJZDKQEKZKOZEQLQNQFOZQIBEOBBIZUYQTZ.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
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- M
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: K = I
NBAKCIVKES,DQGKQPKVYKCEQGUFBKXWMKCTCTQEQQLRUAQGKYKRBEGKDQACH,GIKL,MKCTRBCWVRMKVYKC,CTQQYYRULQSRXAIXH.
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: I = E
YICKLZVGILKTIBLRBXBROKWA;AUKTINOGNMBLA;FODIXITVNOGNMBLBLDQICBIWRPUIADQTUOPQIXITVNUBLDUCNOGNMBLQBADUTV.
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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- R
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- V
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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)
- “The expectancy and rose of the fair state, The glass of fashion and the mould of form, The observed of all observers!”— William Shakespeare, 1601, Hamlet, Act III. Sc. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=O B=V C=G D=M E=S F=Y G=A H=K I=J J=I K=T L=F M=Q N=H O=U P=X Q=Z R=W S=L T=B U=N V=E W=C X=D Y=P Z=R
- “If you visit your friend, why need you apologize for not having visited him, and waste his time and deface your own act?”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841, Essays: First SeriesCipher key: A=B B=P C=L D=E E=Z F=X G=V H=O I=C J=A K=M L=F M=Q N=T O=R P=G Q=U R=I S=D T=H U=K V=S W=N X=W Y=J Z=Y
- “Seek not proud riches, but such as thou mayest get justly, use soberly, distribute cheerfully, and leave contentedly.”— Francis Bacon, 1625, The Essays or Counsels, Civil and MoralCipher key: A=Z B=E C=A D=Q E=O F=G G=U H=L I=X J=R K=F L=Y M=W N=D O=S P=B Q=C R=J S=H T=N U=M V=T W=K X=V Y=I Z=P
- “We must maintain for our civilization the adequate material basis without which that civilization can not exist.”— Theodore Roosevelt, 1907, Seventh Annual Message to CongressCipher key: A=B B=N C=R D=W E=C F=Z G=P H=M I=O J=U K=H L=V M=Q N=L O=A P=D Q=I R=G S=F T=S U=E V=K W=J X=Y Y=X Z=T
- “Puritanism, believing itself quick with the seed of religious liberty, laid, without knowing it, the egg of democracy.”— James Russell Lowell, 1870, Among My Books, First Series. New England Two Centuries ago (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=R B=U C=T D=B E=S F=Q G=L H=Y I=A J=Z K=I L=D M=W N=P O=J P=V Q=E R=O S=M T=H U=F V=N W=K X=C Y=G Z=X
- “We fancy men are individuals; so are pumpkins; but every pumpkin in the field goes through every point of pumpkin history.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844, Essays: Second SeriesCipher key: A=S B=I C=F D=T E=X F=B G=M H=J I=E J=Q K=A L=N M=K N=P O=U P=G Q=H R=D S=Z T=R U=O V=Y W=L X=V Y=W Z=C