Puzzle 1
Starter clue: S = E
XESDS'NDPNSUKDA,XEKX'NIPDDSUSUGDKBTS;...KBMXESDSQNWKBNQSN,XEKX'NIPDXEPOCEXN.
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
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- X
- Y
- Z
Medium Cryptograms Set 132
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: K = I
BPKVLIYORF,VKULHPLIKOXLQSIYRVSRU,QAOWHPLXQLYHRKQRAKH,YONKWWHKVVYHPSGL.
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 3
Starter clue: B = O
VBISIZYKLXJLXBOEKWHXRDRWHOPLKHXPEBBZRDRGBMRVBIGHOPLOBZYMHAWGRLYWRM.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
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- M
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: H = N
LGWOHSWZQLPRXYHPARWBRLH-PRVGRJPALJHWVWXRCXLKYPFPALHYHLVYSJOVVRXGWHS.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: J = T
XJXIKOMVWFLCIJLWOJPYWFFXWIZXJYJYWVFWOJ,JYWAJYFLZJYWIJLMWIOJALCFYWOK.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
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Puzzle 6
Starter clue: B = O
RJXNDLRJUBRVLOO;IBJYNURXKGNJVRBBGPNONIRBXJEBXKRJAIBJBXJEBXKRJA'VSBBG.
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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- S
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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)
- “There's rosemary, that's for remembrance; . . . and there is pansies, that's for thoughts.”— William Shakespeare, 1601, Hamlet, Act IV. Sc. 5 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Y B=N C=G D=R E=H F=Q G=B H=L I=F J=Z K=A L=V M=D N=S O=U P=O Q=I R=J S=E T=C U=M V=W W=P X=T Y=X Z=K
- “While fancy, like the finger of a clock, Runs the great circuit, and is still at home.”— William Cowper, 1785, The Task, Book IV. The Winter Evening. Line 118 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=U B=W C=V D=Z E=J F=Y G=M H=T I=F J=X K=I L=E M=Q N=D O=N P=H Q=R R=C S=O T=B U=K V=L W=S X=G Y=A Z=P
- “You must walk a long while behind a wild goose before you find an ostrich feather.”— Danish proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=C B=O C=X D=B E=G F=Q G=F H=I I=U J=K K=W L=A M=R N=J O=N P=D Q=P R=E S=M T=Z U=V V=Y W=H X=L Y=T Z=S
- “A pound of water in the ocean-tempest has no more gravity than in a midsummer pond.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844, Essays: Second SeriesCipher key: A=H B=C C=G D=Z E=K F=Y G=P H=N I=L J=S K=V L=A M=B N=J O=U P=T Q=W R=E S=D T=X U=Q V=M W=O X=R Y=I Z=F
- “It is dangerous to eat cherries with the great, they throw the stones at your head.”— Danish proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=Y B=F C=U D=P E=J F=R G=X H=V I=S J=T K=D L=O M=N N=M O=A P=C Q=L R=Z S=K T=Q U=B V=G W=E X=I Y=H Z=W
- “True patriots all; for be it understood we left our country for our country's good.”— George Barrington, 1796, Prologue written for the Opening of the Play-house at New South Wales, Jan. 16, 1796 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Y B=O C=Q D=P E=C F=J G=D H=X I=F J=R K=N L=A M=Z N=E O=L P=W Q=V R=T S=G T=M U=I V=S W=K X=U Y=B Z=H