Puzzle 1
Starter clue: U = T
LHULKUMUAGMLDRHBQAOOLKPHMDZHDIAUMUAVWUDLAZ.
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
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- X
- Y
- Z
Hard Cryptograms Set 26
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: Q = S
VTEVRTWYQWFSIDYQJX,VWQQDUUBABTFYUROYERGTWZQ.
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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- O
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Puzzle 3
Starter clue: C = E
WMCLYXWHAHJXCJWYKLYXWHC;WMCBYJCQCJYXCLYXWHC.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: V = E
UVIUQREZVTUBRTVHPUQMVNIBHHOVVEWVMONWUVOVVT.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: H = T
HBDNJKPABGMUDQBRQHDDHBYLHMJHBRQZRQTJQRHRJM.
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 6
Starter clue: J = I
XKSRNKJXEMJBVMNNAEQIJXKXKAJETSJBXQVSIBIMEV.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
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- L
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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)
- “He that stirs honey will have some of it stick to him.”— Spanish proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=I B=Y C=D D=O E=J F=G G=R H=E I=F J=Q K=A L=H M=S N=X O=L P=V Q=W R=N S=U T=B U=T V=C W=K X=P Y=Z Z=M
- “He who eats and puts by, has sufficient for two meals.”— Spanish proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=C B=I C=G D=U E=W F=N G=M H=Z I=P J=B K=Q L=X M=J N=V O=R P=K Q=S R=O S=D T=E U=F V=H W=A X=Y Y=T Z=L
- “The virtuous rest in virtue; the wise desire virtue.”— Confucius, 1861, The Analects (James Legge translation, 1861)Cipher key: A=O B=W C=E D=P E=X F=B G=M H=U I=Q J=S K=N L=V M=H N=Z O=J P=G Q=D R=F S=A T=C U=K V=Y W=T X=R Y=I Z=L
- “He who makes himself honey will be eaten by the bees.”— Dutch proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=X B=I C=Z D=J E=A F=C G=U H=L I=W J=D K=V L=R M=N N=Y O=B P=F Q=O R=M S=Q T=S U=H V=E W=T X=P Y=G Z=K
- “The wolf changes his teeth but not his disposition.”— Spanish proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=C B=H C=J D=E E=M F=R G=A H=T I=Y J=O K=L L=U M=N N=W O=V P=F Q=S R=I S=Z T=P U=G V=X W=K X=Q Y=B Z=D
- “Though it rain daggers with their points downward.”— Robert Burton, 1621, The Anatomy of Melancholy, Part III. Sect. 2, Memb. 3 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=E B=N C=B D=Y E=R F=K G=Z H=J I=W J=I K=H L=X M=A N=G O=M P=C Q=S R=U S=O T=P U=V V=D W=F X=T Y=Q Z=L