Puzzle 1
Starter clue: Q = T
QTLDLZQSYKQYHZPUQTLFYHESMHLSYKQYHSPLQ,SYKQYHVIPLQ,MUSSYKQYHGLHHXGMU.
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
Jonathan Swift Cryptograms Set 3
4 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: J = T
RJRHTGTMRG,JITJJIUHAJUBIUGASAKLFUYLTQQUBHJIAHAVUZYDQTVAITSATZCZYUCFJAYJRJQAJUJIAORKHJ.
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: T = E
IMTWTPELARMDELBTRUPWWXPJTEPWTMPZZDXEQTYPVETDLVAJOPGXTEEZTAGIMTXWIXUTXAUPNXAJATIE,ALIXAUPNXAJYPJTE.
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: B = E
LBFKBPRFJBFMGLCYK,XRBPCRBQKBBCFXRFHB,CYUHVPERVKYGCFPBKWCQCGDDQXFQYUFKGLBKBPC,CYNVJBZCRVKUZYKHFQVPEJVYHBPCRFPNLGWYPCRBLRVW.
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 (4 solutions)
- “The best doctors in the world are Doctor Diet, Doctor Quiet, and Doctor Merryman.”— Jonathan Swift, 1738, Polite Conversation, Dialogue II (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Z B=X C=G D=B E=L F=W G=M H=R I=U J=V K=C L=E M=A N=P O=J P=I Q=T R=K S=D T=H U=N V=Q W=F X=Y Y=O Z=S
- “It is a maxim, that those to whom everybody allows the second place have an undoubted title to the first.”— Jonathan Swift, 1704, A Tale of a Tub, Dedication (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=E B=W C=U D=P E=Q F=B G=M H=S I=H J=T K=R L=Y M=X N=K O=F P=Z Q=L R=I S=V T=A U=O V=C W=G X=J Y=D Z=N
- “The reason why so few marriages are happy is because young ladies spend their time in making nets, not in making cages.”— Jonathan Swift, 1706, Thoughts on Various Subjects (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=N B=F C=J D=Y E=S F=Z G=D H=Q I=T J=G K=V L=O M=H N=K O=L P=A Q=B R=W S=X T=E U=M V=U W=R X=I Y=C Z=P
- “Seamen have a custom, when they meet a whale, to fling him out an empty tub by way of amusement, to divert him from laying violent hands upon the ship.”— Jonathan Swift, 1704, A Tale of a Tub, Preface (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Z B=E C=T D=B E=G F=A G=U H=L I=Q J=V K=M L=S M=C N=D O=J P=N Q=Y R=H S=K T=X U=F V=I W=P X=W Y=O Z=R