Puzzle 1
Starter clue: B = R
NFWDBURODURQOPLORFLQFDNFWBCBOOIUMA,CWROPLNDBURUMA'LVWBLRQPBIBOPIUMA.
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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- R
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- T
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- X
- Y
- Z
Learning Cryptograms Set 15
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: S = T
YCHNOUSXPHSMVT!SLGCMGSUCSCEYCGSULPOUS,SLSCMRUSUCBLPEONYCMULQSLVULLS.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
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Puzzle 3
Starter clue: N = E
BLQNPCJZNEAPLONPYENXDRZYONPCLRBRNKXRVBYYV,XRVSNXZNPYFNKCLDENVXDYWRV.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: Q = E
ABNGZPQL-KQIFZGZDSRFZVZBVSRPQZSEIKQ,UQSABKPVSAQQQKBJVXGQZXQHUSAQSIGK.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: L = A
LNKCNATLGKBYTKOCLCIKBLGWMBKDLDLBPHPCYCPPBGCPPWQRKLOWTKNLTJBWMTPRYP.
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: V = T
WHJXYAYPIAVKFNVVKFNPKVAOWJCFNXWFOV;VKFNPKVIAVKFNVWHJXYAYPAOEHXAWFNO.
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 (6 solutions)
- “You write with ease to show your breeding, But easy writing's curst hard reading.”— Richard Brinsley Sheridan, 1771, Clio's Protest, Life of Sheridan (Moore). Vol. I. p. 155 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=G B=R C=B D=W E=F F=O G=J H=M I=D J=Q K=V L=S M=N N=Y O=E P=A Q=H R=T S=K T=Z U=I V=C W=U X=L Y=P Z=X
- “Delightful task! to rear the tender thought, To teach the young idea how to shoot.”— James Thomson, 1730, The Seasons, Spring. Line 1149 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Z B=Y C=E D=Q E=N F=M G=R H=L I=V J=B K=X L=O M=A N=I O=G P=U Q=W R=C S=T T=K U=H V=S W=J X=F Y=D Z=P
- “Give thyself time to learn something new and good, and cease to be whirled around.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=F B=G C=H D=R E=L F=B G=Z H=Q I=J J=Y K=W L=I M=P N=E O=M P=T Q=V R=N S=C T=K U=X V=D W=U X=A Y=O Z=S
- “How index-learning turns no student pale, Yet holds the eel of science by the tail.”— Alexander Pope, 1728, The Dunciad, Book I. Line 279 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=H B=O C=Q D=G E=P F=R G=I H=B I=A J=F K=L L=X M=Z N=W O=K P=D Q=E R=U S=T T=V U=Y V=S W=J X=C Y=M Z=N
- “A circulating library in a town is as an evergreen tree of diabolical knowledge.”— Richard Brinsley Sheridan, 1775, The Rivals, Act III. Sc. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=U B=N C=R D=S E=X F=Q G=T H=V I=Y J=K K=I L=A M=W N=C O=B P=E Q=F R=D S=J T=L U=M V=H W=O X=Z Y=G Z=P
- “Learning without thought is labour lost; thought without learning is perilous.”— Confucius, 1861, The Analects (James Legge translation, 1861)Cipher key: A=I B=Z C=B D=Q E=P F=O G=K H=E I=W J=A K=H L=Y M=J N=U O=S P=G Q=M R=F S=D T=C U=X V=T W=L X=R Y=N Z=V