Puzzle 1
Starter clue: D = A
DVDPQCZYRVDRKBUZOCYVRBIOHDPBPEDRZUUZQDRBDRYIMDRCBHDPYPNBPKDAIBDRSUB.
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 137
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: E = L
YZJOBTERECIZCUGEENOZGKZJBXNOZYBMERCUGUOBTM;GA,CUGEENOZYBMERJBXNOZGKZJ.
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: F = E
HWFBYMINDHSAHASWNPFFPFDQYBZYZWBNDFRFDABYNMMIXFMSTWHKJMNDFONXNDHSAHA.
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 4
Starter clue: H = E
SWARTHVZVHAASXE,OEOJEBCXEYHAHNXRH,CBVVNXCPVOEJNBFERTHRBCCHERBKTOAKXRH?
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 5
Starter clue: I = E
CIOWMIWTDTDNICQITZITVEIDVDEVDHWLWVCIEIZIDTVVFAIDLFEZFLDYVFAWFNEDJQR.
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: W = E
BIWLXDBI'LZHKLYWWTLFBBIWCHDLWHVBIWIFXXWE,FCZUFMWLFBBIWKEDCZDCKHVBWWBI.
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)
- “A man who is master of himself can end a sorrow as easily as he can invent a pleasure.”— Oscar Wilde, 1891, The Picture of Dorian GrayCipher key: A=P B=E C=H D=A E=D F=X G=Z H=C I=L J=G K=T L=Q M=Y N=V O=F P=N Q=W R=S S=U T=B U=R V=M W=J X=K Y=I Z=O
- “We should live in all the ages of the world in an hour; ay, in all the worlds of the ages.”— Henry David Thoreau, 1854, WaldenCipher key: A=Y B=O C=I D=Z E=L F=C G=A H=M I=V J=S K=G L=Q M=R N=T O=H P=J Q=P R=D S=X T=U U=N V=B W=K X=F Y=W Z=E
- “The only artists I have ever known who are personally delightful are bad artists.”— Oscar Wilde, 1891, The Picture of Dorian GrayCipher key: A=S B=O C=Q D=R E=X F=E G=C H=T I=Y J=U K=F L=J M=L N=A O=B P=V Q=K R=P S=I T=G U=M V=Z W=H X=D Y=N Z=W
- “Must helpless man, in ignorance sedate, Roll darkling down the torrent of his fate?”— Samuel Johnson, 1749, The Vanity of Human Wishes, Line 345 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=S B=O C=R D=Y E=N F=W G=V H=E I=Q J=G K=F L=B M=X N=D O=I P=K Q=J R=T S=M T=H U=Z V=L W=U X=A Y=C Z=P
- “We live in an age when men treat art as if it were meant to be a form of autobiography.”— Oscar Wilde, 1891, The Picture of Dorian GrayCipher key: A=B B=C C=W D=A E=R F=O G=D H=S I=E J=P K=Q L=F M=V N=G O=L P=J Q=H R=Y S=X T=N U=Z V=T W=I X=K Y=U Z=M
- “The smith's dog sleeps at the noise of the hammer, and wakes at the grinding of teeth.”— Spanish proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=Z B=T C=N D=I E=R F=A G=C H=O I=H J=B K=G L=S M=K N=V O=U P=J Q=Y R=X S=Q T=P U=W V=F W=E X=M Y=L Z=D