Puzzle 1
Starter clue: O = N
PTGBHBKOQXVONQKOXBCXKTBOKRPGVON,PTVNEXKCVQQXKXWTVITPBUVOQXPVON.
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
- U
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- X
- Y
- Z
Medium Cryptograms Set 113
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: Z = T
ZUNMHAZZUPQKZUHZBNXPQVPQSHIPQKHOTTIPAZTIQTBBUHZBNSYAZEYZXPCAZ.
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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- Z
Puzzle 3
Starter clue: F = L
HNYYTFQ,HNYYTFQIWJFFTFTANUDO,BUVNYGWNXFDIIDHGWJGWJUCIDUGWNXDBCW.
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
UJLOLVIOLSVNGEGVNLJLYJTDSUOPMBDOUOJUZVEGOVDPDUORVDSNLCGBGLBCG.
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: M = A
VTWTUEEVTLMQTMEPVSKVEVTPAJWIOJTPXMWT,EAXASLEMQAJMW,AJMIAJLMEMWT.
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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- Z
Puzzle 6
Starter clue: C = E
ZXOMOQCGCJBTQOBLPCGJTGPCSNTALPCWOQX;ZAJOCQXOBLPCPTGCTALPCPCZJL.
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
- 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)
- “Religion stands on tiptoe in our land, Ready to pass to the American strand.”— George Herbert, 1633, The Temple, The Church Militant (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=W B=I C=P D=F E=Y F=X G=L H=G I=M J=K K=O L=Z M=Q N=D O=N P=R Q=S R=U S=V T=E U=C V=A W=H X=T Y=B Z=J
- “The last thing that we find in making a book is to know what we must put first.”— Blaise Pascal, 1670, Pensees (Thoughts), Chap. IX. 30 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=S B=W C=R D=Y E=P F=Q G=V H=A I=K J=X K=G L=Z M=L N=E O=B P=I Q=N R=J S=M T=O U=H V=D W=C X=F Y=U Z=T
- “Merrily, merrily shall I live now, Under the blossom that hangs on the bough.”— William Shakespeare, 1611, The Tempest, Act V. Sc. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=V B=U C=G D=O E=K F=L G=T H=M I=S J=A K=F L=Q M=P N=E O=W P=C Q=Y R=Z S=X T=I U=N V=D W=H X=B Y=R Z=J
- “I do not know the method of drawing up an indictment against a whole people.”— Edmund Burke, 1775, Speech on Conciliation with America, Speech on the Conciliation of America. Vol. II. p. 136 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Z B=P C=L D=A E=M F=Y G=E H=J I=K J=D K=Q L=O M=U N=H O=N P=G Q=X R=S S=W T=R U=I V=T W=V X=B Y=F Z=C
- “He left the name at which the world grew pale, To point a moral, or adorn a tale.”— Samuel Johnson, 1749, The Vanity of Human Wishes, Line 221 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=O B=V C=Q D=Z E=T F=U G=K H=Y I=D J=R K=C L=N M=A N=X O=G P=W Q=M R=S S=I T=E U=F V=H W=L X=P Y=J Z=B
- “A divine person is the prophecy of the mind; a friend is the hope of the heart.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844, Essays: Second SeriesCipher key: A=F B=S C=E D=Z E=U F=L G=P H=W I=X J=R K=Q L=T M=V N=Y O=I P=H Q=N R=G S=C T=O U=J V=B W=M X=D Y=K Z=A