Puzzle 1
Starter clue: M = E
DAMVEUCXYGIKZCXYOMDMKEAKZTQEMQBAQXMZDBKTMDAKXZAMVVCXYZMKZQBYQEM.
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
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- X
- Y
- Z
Medium Cryptograms Set 121
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: G = E
UVGQGYQGYMWQUWKXGPFVWMGIBMYOGMAWSQGYXYPAXYPUZGZBCGYMUYPABPOHWPA.
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
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- U
- V
- W
- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 3
Starter clue: I = S
XHJSGZOMAHUJIIZIIAJHIZTBJQCZMXAHIMWZIXQZOWXCQMWXMAMWXBAHUNCINAM.
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 4
Starter clue: F = E
BXMAFMHVLFMXBWXV,AFUMJHZFMHVLFMXFCF,MYFFVLFNWXAYWULQSJHDMHABJYYOC.
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: A = E
IXPPTPRTVIS,MKL;YAOKRREAHIRGKSX:IMHYACMIC,OYASHYAIXAKMKSHYAOKHKMPQH.
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
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- U
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- Y
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Puzzle 6
Starter clue: X = E
IXQGSXLECYXZRVMVEGQ,PNXQVNXOZXYSGYIMKGGJJXXJ,SMECVGKXVBYXJEVSGYEV.
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)
- “The drying up a single tear has more of honest fame than shedding seas of gore.”— Lord Byron, 1819, Don Juan, Canto VIII. Stanza 3 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=H B=F C=I D=T E=R F=J G=U H=C I=P J=K K=A L=Z M=E N=B O=L P=V Q=O R=X S=W T=M U=Y V=D W=Q X=N Y=G Z=S
- “There are a sort of men whose visages do cream and mantle like a standing pond.”— William Shakespeare, 1597, The Merchant of Venice, Act I. Sc. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=D B=I C=K D=J E=B F=W G=E H=P I=V J=Q K=F L=X M=S N=U O=G P=N Q=R R=Z S=C T=Y U=T V=H W=O X=M Y=A Z=L
- “An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit.”— Pliny the Younger, 105, Letters, Book II. Letter XV. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=I B=D C=R D=Q E=F F=Y G=J H=N I=S J=O K=W L=Z M=T N=U O=C P=K Q=M R=G S=B T=L U=P V=X W=H X=A Y=V Z=E
- “Pride in their port, defiance in their eye, I see the lords of humankind pass by.”— Oliver Goldsmith, 1764, The Traveller, Line 327 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=D B=P C=Y D=K E=G F=E G=Q H=N I=X J=A K=J L=H M=I N=L O=B P=W Q=U R=Z S=M T=V U=F V=T W=O X=R Y=S Z=C
- “A good old man, sir; he will be talking: as they say, When the age is in the wit is out.”— William Shakespeare, 1599, Much Ado about Nothing, Act III. Sc. 5 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=E B=J C=Y D=F E=B F=C G=K H=T I=A J=Z K=I L=R M=S N=P O=W P=O Q=U R=L S=N T=D U=Q V=M W=V X=G Y=H Z=X
- “Men of evil reputation, when they perform a good deed, fail to get credit for it.”— Aesop, 1867, Aesop's Fables (George Fyler Townsend translation, 1867)Cipher key: A=B B=C C=L D=J E=I F=S G=O H=Z I=M J=D K=G L=V M=A N=H O=Y P=W Q=N R=U S=F T=K U=Q V=T W=X X=E Y=R Z=P