Puzzle 1
Starter clue: L = E
STALDGFVLKCDTPLDEKLZXUVEPLDGTUSULRZUQSEEQ,ZUQHLZVLDEWLRGTXKLQZXEBUQ.
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
Marcus Aurelius Cryptograms Set 6
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: V = I
YLXJUVWXQNEHKEJNXVNHVMXEDVUYXQYCQQXUY:VYKEQQVXNXWXQTYLVUZEHCUZDVYLVY.
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: K = E
VWWRGKHKRGZUAHGVMMKURDRGKIFCYKVHDUDORGKZYZAUDYVUEKDOBGVRZHADDLVULKNZW.
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: F = E
ZFAPFFKGOWIWDY,IMUDFFJMYCFRCFKMIWPFWHMYKCPFCKIMTOVWWVCENPVAPYCPFKDSVBF.
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 5
Starter clue: O = E
OLOUISRATZAKCTBIECUNFNI,DCSRSRNSGRAYRUOXOXDOUKNTFSRNSGRAYRAKUOXOXDOUOF.
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 6
Starter clue: E = A
ESSVBEVBEJJFMZDZEZCZCESEMGYEXDSDELEZVBFLQZFDMZJLDMHEMGVBFPLQJDMZCXXFL.
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)
- “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=V B=U C=F D=T E=O F=Y G=H H=C I=K J=Z K=L L=E M=X N=J O=P P=M Q=D R=W S=G T=I U=N V=S W=B X=R Y=Q Z=A
- “The universal cause is like a winter torrent: it carries everything along with it.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=D B=F C=O D=W E=A F=Z G=Q H=L I=P J=U K=C L=H M=K N=S O=X P=M Q=R R=J S=B T=Y U=N V=I W=V X=E Y=T Z=G
- “All these things happen to them by reason of their ignorance of what is good and evil.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=G B=W C=Y D=O E=C F=B G=H H=S I=M J=Z K=E L=D M=P N=V O=F P=U Q=J R=T S=X T=Q U=N V=A W=L X=K Y=R Z=I
- “Be cheerful also, and seek not external help nor the tranquillity which others give.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=C B=V C=T D=S E=Y F=E G=F H=P I=A J=K K=R L=Z M=N N=W O=U P=H Q=M R=X S=G T=Q U=D V=I W=L X=J Y=O Z=B
- “Everything is only for a day, both that which remembers and that which is remembered.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=I B=L C=O D=B E=F F=D G=W H=X I=Y J=U K=S L=V M=Z N=A O=E P=J Q=K R=H S=T T=N U=R V=Q W=P X=M Y=C Z=G
- “All that happens is as usual and familiar as the rose in spring and the crop in summer.”— Marcus Aurelius, 170, Meditations, IV. 44 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=J B=H C=U D=I E=A F=E G=D H=G I=W J=P K=Y L=R M=N N=K O=Q P=C Q=O R=X S=L T=Z U=V V=T W=B X=M Y=F Z=S