Puzzle 1
Starter clue: G = E
SGBRMAOUVBHHVGTAGQGSUSDHG,CLPHEMEHGGAIMALHGP,VLRRKGLWHVGMSUDSF,BARUMHVBUGKK-JSGRUVMPWGSYKDPGHVGPYGAG.
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
Learning 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: B = T
DMKBNZK,HBHKRZVONQMIZNMQUBJMBUVYMZNIHBBINCNBBNZBJMXTMIKNPXMONK;MXQHBEHIISVXNMZBVCNBJVYSJBKVKJVZBIU.
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: R = N
MFGRXDXRPAWXAFEIXJRMRDWPTXEEPEEMXRXYCRXABPOLP;MFGXRPAWXMEYXROXYFRDMVZMDU,FROPFJRPEDMREPPCMRLMDDWPJP.
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
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- W
- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 4
Starter clue: S = E
RDHXJNDGPZSHIRPXMCHXFQPASEVHSIAVXTSHRUQSDITSHSIYDSAIDPNDSHASNHSSXCPMAPTPAJIGCHSSAXFRDIMSTSHZSCXHS.
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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- X
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: R = E
DRBVUOKPIRCPEKNRTAOBRUOIJIERWPBDVRWFVREIJCOKFBCIRXUIWDEFVFVRS,CWPFVRNCIRKRBBFVCWFVREIMUUPHOCKEFERB.
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
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- U
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- W
- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 6
Starter clue: X = E
XMXLJBRXNABUIEGOECUSBX,XMXLJDIUSC,XMXLJUSANUIASACEQLHZCR,CXUBRXECRXGSACJHVBUGEX,CRXMULAXCJHVUDDXULUSBX.
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)
- “Reading what they never wrote, Just fifteen minutes, huddle up their work, And with a well-bred whisper close the scene.”— William Cowper, 1785, The Task, Book II. The Timepiece. Line 411 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=N B=A C=J D=O E=F F=K G=E H=T I=M J=B K=L L=U M=I N=Z O=G P=S Q=V R=D S=R T=Y U=W V=H W=P X=Q Y=C Z=X
- “Masters, it is proved already that you are little better than false knaves; and it will go near to be thought so shortly.”— William Shakespeare, 1599, Much Ado about Nothing, Act IV. Sc. 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Q B=T C=B D=M E=W F=J G=Z H=I I=L J=H K=S L=X M=A N=E O=V P=K Q=D R=P S=G T=F U=Y V=O W=C X=N Y=U Z=R
- “I am not one who was born in the possession of knowledge; I am one who is fond of antiquity, and earnest in seeking it there.”— Confucius, 1861, The Analects (James Legge translation, 1861)Cipher key: A=W B=L C=K D=T E=S F=A G=M H=C I=B J=R K=Z L=G M=I N=J O=D P=E Q=V R=N S=X T=P U=Y V=Q W=H X=O Y=F Z=U
- “Through liberation from widespread poverty we have reached a higher degree of individual freedom than ever before.”— Herbert Hoover, 1929, Inaugural AddressCipher key: A=D B=Q C=F D=H E=S F=M G=L H=R I=A J=U K=J L=X M=N N=G O=K P=I Q=W R=T S=E T=V U=Y V=P W=Z X=O Y=C Z=B
- “We should readily excuse our friends when their faults are born with them, and they are less than their good qualities.”— Francois de La Rochefoucauld, 1871, Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (J. Hain Friswell translation, 1871)Cipher key: A=C B=S C=A D=W E=I F=T G=K H=Q I=R J=F K=L L=J M=G N=Y O=U P=D Q=Z R=E S=M T=X U=O V=H W=N X=B Y=V Z=P
- “Every chemical substance, every plant, every animal in its growth, teaches the unity of cause, the variety of appearance.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841, Essays: First SeriesCipher key: A=I B=C C=T D=P E=S F=K G=U H=O I=L J=Y K=X L=R M=V N=M O=B P=D Q=G R=H S=N T=Z U=A V=F W=J X=E Y=Q Z=W