Puzzle 1
Starter clue: K = O
DPKZQQZQIEWTDYCWTUW'VKPG:KPGJIDQYGV,KPGWDRQV,KPGRUYYQIV,KPGFKKHV,KPGSDYQ.
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 136
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: J = E
KNJNXUNJOKNJWHIGKVXGKNJEHQJOKNJMVEJ,KNJKVEEJOKNJKOJJKNJNVORJOKNJSVEE.
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: D = E
WTTWZDDUBWTTXDFHSHTDQHPHVDMPIHDZSFLKWZDWFQGZPHDKHSPFPMHVDLPRDZFADFH.
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: D = O
XLXZZPIDSLDRZ!UWBGWBILDOPSIOXCZIDMUDDEPXSMW'ZOPAPIPSXMPZDIZGDRJOSXBZP.
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 5
Starter clue: P = E
DMPNHPZPDIEDDQTPMTPGDYXQSPCDFPCPCDFKSXPLJKMKCDMYCPMLKTJHEJKTLJPCDDM.
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
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- Z
Puzzle 6
Starter clue: F = E
VFJCXSPLFOQDQPZCREBHOAEIREPF,VFXFEPLPLFACCSLCUREI,-VHPREIEVCBFPLFAIFEP.
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)
- “I love everything that's old: old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wine.”— Oliver Goldsmith, 1773, She Stoops to Conquer, Act I (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=X B=C C=G D=I E=Y F=B G=D H=K I=R J=F K=O L=P M=J N=Q O=U P=L Q=E R=M S=W T=H U=A V=S W=T X=Z Y=N Z=V
- “The higher the mountain the lower the vale, the taller the tree the harder the fall.”— Dutch proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=K B=P C=B D=X E=L F=S G=N H=O I=U J=E K=T L=J M=V N=H O=R P=C Q=W R=D S=F T=Q U=G V=A W=M X=I Y=Z Z=Y
- “All are equally entitled to the fostering care and protection of the Government.”— James K. Polk, 1845, Inaugural AddressCipher key: A=M B=U C=Z D=E E=J F=N G=P H=T I=S J=K K=C L=G M=F N=X O=B P=O Q=D R=V S=I T=L U=Q V=H W=A X=Y Y=W Z=R
- “A mass enormous! which in modern days no two of earth's degenerate sons could raise.”— Alexander Pope, 1720, The Iliad of Homer (Pope's translation), Book XX. Line 337 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=G B=I C=Y D=O E=F F=B G=C H=Q I=N J=L K=Z L=M M=T N=P O=D P=E Q=V R=U S=R T=X U=W V=K W=H X=A Y=J Z=S
- “One piece of good sense would be more memorable than a monument as high as the moon.”— Henry David Thoreau, 1854, WaldenCipher key: A=Q B=X C=M D=O E=G F=R G=W H=I I=F J=H K=A L=T M=N N=P O=J P=E Q=D R=K S=B T=S U=Z V=Y W=V X=L Y=U Z=C
- “Beyond the limits of a vulgar fate, Beneath the good how far, - but far above the great.”— Thomas Gray, 1757, The Progress of Poesy, III. 3, Line 16 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=G B=V C=O D=M E=A F=E G=Q H=U I=R J=Y K=X L=H M=C N=J O=L P=T Q=I R=F S=D T=P U=W V=B W=K X=N Y=Z Z=S