Puzzle 1
Starter clue: R = E
WMILGRERZRNHPZR,VIWGRMXARWXHPZR;OETOHGOCLTPLAXLPEFXINLRHZRLWXVRMOAAC,PWPLPERZPWOVHRWMOWGRERZRNVRJXYRLX.
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
Hope Cryptograms Set 18
5 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: I = O
UQGNIVPMGISQYMQSOBSQQJIYGQYA,ANOAZYBIPPIUZYCANQIRZYZIYIBIVSBSZQYMGANQXGNIVPMWQPZQLQANOAANQXBIPPIUIVSG.
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: H = I
NGZMIURCHILVJWHFGIZFFJUGJSZRICHNFXHLJAJMFHAARNHJIRBHNWRAZIJYGZAZVZNNZACHFSBRWZCNGRIHIDMZFNHJIFJUTJICMTN.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: P = E
YDMIYXPC,JHTPUYZPMHQVRKJGYQC,KHBKUYSLPGUCHQKQKHMOIPHVIU;UIPJHUUJPXJPKCDMPYRUIPVKBPHCRMYBKRKMUYNHPZUIPRJHVIU.
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: Z = E
UMNIZFLBPEZKNQHFVRMUSMQVCZZBNJZYLUTZT,NETBMNBUGBMZKNQHPCZWHZJUZESZ.UOEPREPRNVPCDLTYUEYPCBMZCLBLJZFLBFVBMZHNGB.
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 (5 solutions)
- “Thus we never live, but we hope to live; and always disposing ourselves to be happy, it is inevitable that we never become so.”— Blaise Pascal, 1670, Pensees (Thoughts), Chap. V. 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=P B=X C=Y D=F E=N F=G G=W H=L I=U J=C K=Q L=S M=H N=R O=A P=I Q=K R=E S=J T=D U=Z V=B W=T X=O Y=M Z=V
- “We should so render a free consent, that in following the opinion of our friends they should believe that they follow ours.”— Francois de La Rochefoucauld, 1871, Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (J. Hain Friswell translation, 1871)Cipher key: A=T B=F C=G D=X E=J F=M G=S H=Z I=O J=C K=Q L=V M=D N=H O=A P=L Q=E R=P S=R T=K U=W V=U W=B X=Y Y=N Z=I
- “The unfading boyishness of hope and its vigorous irrationality are nowhere better displayed than in questions of conduct.”— Robert Louis Stevenson, 1881, Virginibus Puerisque and Other PapersCipher key: A=R B=L C=D D=Q E=J F=S G=H H=I I=N J=O K=X L=G M=U N=T O=M P=K Q=Z R=A S=P T=C U=F V=B W=Y X=V Y=W Z=E
- “Our hopes, like towering falcons, aim at objects in an airy height; The little pleasure of the game is from afar to view the flight.”— Matthew Prior, 1692, To the Hon. Charles Montague (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Q B=M C=S D=U E=Z F=X G=C H=I I=H J=L K=A L=J M=R N=V O=Y P=E Q=N R=F S=B T=K U=T V=G W=D X=P Y=O Z=W
- “I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know no way of judging of the future but by the past.”— Patrick Henry, 1775, Speech in the Virginia Convention. March, 1775 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Z B=T C=F D=J E=N F=B G=S H=P I=V J=R K=L L=U M=H N=A O=K P=O Q=M R=W S=C T=D U=I V=Y W=X X=Q Y=G Z=E