Puzzle 1
Starter clue: G = E
DHGKFSLZWMCZWGDGCKZGKCRZLGYGUVJKC,IWLGYGUWGJKVSG,KHHULHUMKZGBV,CLZIMZWKCVKEEGNZKZMLC:TDGHBKMCRMDNLTUDG.
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 12
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: H = E
YHHOMNRDBJHSRGBMXNJVNMAHTWHMVH.JNEDNNFSRRGHPSLMBMXCNBYNJRGHJWRWEH,SMYSRRGSRNRGHEDBOBRDHAAAISVH,RGHISAR.
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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- U
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- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 3
Starter clue: H = T
VYHHGYQHGSEKMAPYQHJTCKHHGYPTYJHIYLH,JQMHGYSFDVVIYPJDQNKDYH,JQMHGCKFDVHQCHTYLYYQYDHGYIXKILKDQACIJOCDMDQA.
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 = I
MYMXAZELJCTELSELFLJDJATDAOMDVZLKVQLFOMDVZLKVQLJLZFMQK,DJHZMXRLJDZMFLJLZFMQK,JPZEDYLJCUXDLFMDFUDXZPKLZFMQK.
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: O = T
UGALIGOPGDJCVCROCJMEYELRXOKPLFPOPGKEZGXFCROLRBEAAMUJGEI,UBOLOXOERQXNLJVERQOEVGXOPGNBJMCNOPGKEOGJEJCBRQLO.
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: D = N
FWWOGVDZKFYNVUAWVTFONEBVOGPDNFDPOGNY,FDEOGNIPDEVKGPWS;FDEOGNYNVKGFYEWSFDSOGVDZRDTPDDNTONEBVOGFDSPOGNYOGVDZ.
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
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)
- “Speak both in the senate and to every man, whoever he may be, appropriately, not with any affectation: use plain discourse.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=J B=L C=N D=S E=F F=K G=E H=P I=W J=M K=A L=O M=I N=C O=Q P=X Q=G R=D S=B T=U U=R V=Y W=H X=Z Y=V Z=T
- “Deem not life a thing of consequence. For look at the yawning void of the future, and at that other limitless space, the past.”— Marcus Aurelius, 170, Meditations, IV. 50 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=S B=I C=V D=L E=R F=K G=H H=E I=P J=F K=X L=W M=N N=O O=M P=Y Q=Z R=T S=A T=Q U=B V=C W=U X=G Y=D Z=J
- “Let then thy judgment about them be at rest, and they will remain quiet, and thou wilt not be seen either pursuing or avoiding.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=G B=F C=O D=I E=J F=W G=H H=T I=R J=A K=U L=S M=D N=Q O=V P=M Q=N R=X S=Y T=B U=K V=L W=Z X=P Y=E Z=C
- “Everything which is in any way beautiful is beautiful in itself, and terminates in itself, not having praise as part of itself.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=Y B=Q C=G D=A E=H F=S G=X H=D I=J J=N K=F L=I M=E N=K O=B P=O Q=L R=M S=C T=W U=P V=U W=Z X=R Y=V Z=T
- “Be like the promontory against which the waves continually break, but it stands firm and tames the fury of the water around it.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=L B=U C=O D=P E=A F=C G=E H=Z I=K J=R K=W L=I M=Y N=F O=T P=H Q=D R=N S=J T=Q U=B V=M W=X X=S Y=G Z=V
- “All things are implicated with one another, and the bond is holy; and there is hardly anything unconnected with any other thing.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=P B=W C=Z D=N E=D F=A G=H H=K I=B J=Q K=S L=J M=X N=E O=T P=O Q=V R=U S=Y T=C U=M V=I W=L X=F Y=R Z=G