Puzzle 1
Starter clue: B = E
NPICMPVBHMPGGMUQBGBFWIPIZHUVBYEFMZUUC,FICZPOBRSQBPIZCBHRGMUWX.
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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- X
- Y
- Z
Marcus Aurelius Cryptograms Set 5
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: R = N
RFXWVRPJIRJFTZFEXFMRFXWVRP,IROTFGZXWIRIXWVRPJIRPFUIJCXFRFXWVRP.
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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Puzzle 3
Starter clue: I = T
SISWGWTGYJITJOITGISROALGOEJGOUEAOEJSIWTAXDUPJWILAORJLITGOCSWUAY.
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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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: L = O
YLYWLXROWQWROVYIQLMIORRLDWGSNNWPSFSY'Q,EOVGOPLYLRDWNLYIRLSFSY,SQFSY.
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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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: T = E
HJTXTECDZCSPDWTPTFHBDNHJTRFCWTEBTYETHJTBYPT,RXYFZZDAFNEDPYITHDYIT.
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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Puzzle 6
Starter clue: B = T
QIHKBMOBIUQETMSZMMOJJKUXBIBMKKOUNSXXJFUTSBMBMKBMGKONILBMENKXBSUE.
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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- Y
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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)
- “Find time still to be learning somewhat good, and give up being desultory.”— Marcus Aurelius, 170, Meditations, II. 7 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=C B=E C=D D=K E=H F=A G=L H=S I=N J=Z K=X L=Q M=T N=F O=V P=I Q=B R=U S=P T=J U=O V=M W=R X=Y Y=W Z=G
- “Nothing can come out of nothing, any more than a thing can go back to nothing.”— Marcus Aurelius, 170, Meditations, IV. 4 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=X B=D C=K D=Q E=U F=O G=R H=S I=A J=C K=L L=V M=F N=J O=Y P=G Q=W R=N S=P T=M U=B V=I W=H X=T Y=Z Z=E
- “It is a shame then that ignorance and conceit should be stronger than wisdom.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=O B=V C=W D=L E=C F=Y G=A H=K I=T J=E K=Z L=R M=J N=P O=N P=B Q=F R=G S=I T=H U=D V=Q W=S X=U Y=M Z=X
- “None of these things ought to be called a man's, which do not belong to a man, as man.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=J B=K C=Y D=B E=W F=M G=C H=Z I=G J=X K=R L=O M=U N=L O=H P=D Q=S R=T S=A T=Q U=V V=I W=E X=F Y=N Z=P
- “The periodic movements of the universe are the same, up and down from age to age.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=W B=S C=I D=O E=R F=N G=K H=T I=G J=H K=B L=X M=Q N=F O=L P=M Q=Z R=U S=C T=E U=Y V=J W=V X=P Y=A Z=D
- “Love that only which happens to thee and is spun with the thread of thy destiny.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=Q B=T C=G D=K E=Y F=U G=R H=V I=O J=P K=E L=F M=H N=D O=A P=X Q=L R=B S=I T=W U=N V=Z W=J X=S Y=M Z=C