Puzzle 1
Starter clue: B = T
XO,NUQASMGLXOSBXXNUOEUWZZJASMXUBN,GBRECBXKOZUWABUSESXBKOZUWYCBOXBN.
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
Medium Cryptograms Set 123
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: T = E
ARTTVESNBSWTJVITVAOZASLTTCSCTVARTSCCSJAPVOADNSJMISJTMKPVEMVAFONT.
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
EBDJBKOIEKFBKIOFKTNIBWKXDZIEFBDKH,VQIVRVKZXMOIZAAWBHKTWTXIETXIEKR?
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
Puzzle 4
Starter clue: J = R
WNJXBJHLDERWJXKDJ'LEJXBWRDOOHZNJXBJHLDZWLVHAXB,WGUXVZWLGHVAXGIBHJD.
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
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- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 5
Starter clue: R = T
RCJUOQDSJSN,VJMZRCZUHJDJRQYTIQERCRCTROZTSURQKZQYSQRZ,KZNJSUKZRJOZU.
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: Y = E
BXYFEZDUGFYPYHFTUZPYFPZTURZZA,TXYJZZCTGWZFUXYPBMUXHUXDYHUYFMFRYNY.
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)
- “Or, having sworn too hard a keeping oath, Study to break it and not break my troth.”— William Shakespeare, 1597, Love's Labour's Lost, Act I. Sc. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=I B=T C=Y D=Z E=D F=X G=S H=C I=Q J=P K=B L=W M=G N=H O=R P=F Q=V R=U S=N T=J U=A V=L W=K X=O Y=M Z=E
- “The end of government is to keep open the opportunity for a more abundant life.”— Calvin Coolidge, 1928, State of the Union AddressCipher key: A=T B=G C=P D=Y E=D F=L G=C H=W I=M J=R K=B L=K M=A N=F O=I P=U Q=Z R=H S=O T=E U=Q V=N W=V X=J Y=X Z=S
- “How does the poet speak to men with power, but by being still more a man than they?”— Thomas Carlyle, 1828, Burns. Edinburgh Review, 1828 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=L B=O C=Q D=W E=H F=P G=X H=R I=T J=D K=E L=J M=G N=K O=S P=Z Q=U R=Y S=F T=A U=V V=B W=M X=N Y=C Z=I
- “A primrose by a river's brim a yellow primrose was to him, And it was nothing more.”— William Wordsworth, 1819, Peter Bell, Part I. Stanza 12 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=H B=M C=J D=E E=B F=X G=N H=O I=G J=R K=V L=S M=K N=P O=L P=Z Q=F R=Y S=C T=U U=D V=T W=A X=I Y=Q Z=W
- “This morning, like the spirit of a youth that means to be of note, begins betimes.”— William Shakespeare, 1606, Antony and Cleopatra, Act IV. Sc. 4 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Z B=D C=H D=R E=U F=V G=X H=P I=Y J=I K=B L=Q M=K N=G O=M P=W Q=O R=T S=N T=A U=S V=L W=J X=C Y=F Z=E
- “When Fortune means to men most good, She looks upon them with a threatening eye.”— William Shakespeare, 1596, King John, Act III. Sc. 4 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=D B=W C=K D=R E=F F=N G=U H=A I=V J=L K=C L=B M=I N=Y O=Q P=M Q=J R=G S=Z T=S U=T V=X W=P X=H Y=E Z=O