Puzzle 1
Starter clue: I = E
JRIMOSWZYMOSI,VOMGGIUBOQMIKYSDBI,VGIUIOXXOSILDBDXSIMUZMGVOMGCRBKYGIVIOCGY,DXKYRBOKJZKKOXCDCDOXYMIAJMHJUDOYI.
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 159
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 = T
BNIHIUMBYVGPVJUMLVHBVZMSYBMUMGRVJUMLVHYGDEIGBVBNIYHIESUVCIHPMHIVJBNIXBEVPBZVGZIHGBVIFIHCSMBHYVBYZZYBYQIG.
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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- T
- U
- V
- W
- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 3
Starter clue: W = A
OEQYILPTSMTWSQISXPLQYIBVPAI,FYPSIWRXWEWZISODWEAPPN,PSBPIXQPWEWZISODWEJVWU,PSVPPNXWQWEWZISODWEJODQTSIPSXQWQTI?
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: U = T
UGVXHUNMLJZUZSVIRUMRHQQMKUUGVYWBRMLUGVYWIXZRJMVFHWYBZUGUGVXHUNMLUGVZKDMCVKIPVIUUMVILMKJVUGVYWBRBGZJGVOZRU.
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: M = E
FMBNNCAIOCNYNAZRIOBMZIDNKVMVIYVVIYQMSZNDMSONGM,NYMUTMORIRKNYZGNSMRXIYSMIBKEMVIYVTSNZTMSKRPTMSJMORBPZMOHSMV.
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: H = E
HDHCLETHXTYPHNECJAMTENBYPIYYPHBEVYEDHCOEQHBYPHPICA,ITAYPHNHIMYPHBYCETF,WZYTEETHXBIWJHYEOICCLXYEZYXTRCIOYXOH.
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)
- “Poetic Justice, with her lifted scale, Where in nice balance truth with gold she weighs, And solid pudding against empty praise.”— Alexander Pope, 1728, The Dunciad, Book I. Line 52 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=M B=L C=G D=A E=V F=X G=H H=Y I=E J=P K=D L=B M=T N=K O=I P=Q Q=F R=O S=C T=Z U=R V=W W=J X=N Y=S Z=U
- “The relations of labor to capital and of laboring men to their employers are of the utmost concern to every patriotic citizen.”— Grover Cleveland, 1886, Second Annual Message to CongressCipher key: A=W B=T C=Y D=G E=M F=V G=N H=R I=E J=F K=X L=B M=A N=H O=Q P=S Q=Z R=D S=P T=K U=L V=O W=J X=U Y=I Z=C
- “In the four quarters of the globe, who reads an American book, or goes to an American play, or looks at an American picture or statue?”— Sydney Smith, 1820, Review of Seybert's Annals of the United States, 1820 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=B B=G C=V D=C E=N F=W G=Z H=J I=E J=P K=X L=F M=Q N=K O=I P=O Q=T R=D S=R T=U U=Y V=L W=A X=S Y=H Z=M
- “The duty of citizens to support the laws of the land is coequal with the duty of their Government to enforce the laws which exist.”— Herbert Hoover, 1929, Inaugural AddressCipher key: A=J B=W C=V D=G E=B F=Q G=H H=U I=N J=C K=R L=F M=O N=Y O=X P=M Q=P R=S S=Z T=K U=T V=E W=A X=D Y=L Z=I
- “We look back on obstacles avoided and dangers overcome, on expectations more than realized and prosperity perfectly secured.”— Martin Van Buren, 1837, Inaugural AddressCipher key: A=B B=L C=K D=V E=Z F=W G=M H=U I=A J=F K=I L=Q M=E N=O O=C P=Y Q=G R=T S=R T=P U=X V=D W=J X=H Y=N Z=S
- “Every one in the world knows that the soft overcomes the hard, and the weak the strong, but no one is able to carry it out in practice.”— Laozi, 1891, Tao Te Ching (James Legge translation, 1891)Cipher key: A=D B=S C=R D=V E=O F=G G=Z H=E I=A J=L K=X L=Y M=K N=W O=C P=H Q=M R=P S=J T=N U=Q V=F W=B X=I Y=T Z=U