Puzzle 1
Starter clue: G = E
YGBGFYGYGEBFTEQLCDGEHMGJHVVGMMUOFUFYGYGEN,EONVGEBOCOLRCMGBLBURRCFYUHFYCMIUUZM.
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 167
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 = E
JTGKZUEODZDFWYDUWK;ULXYDUWK,MFZDJTGKUZYZQFNK,YTTLZUEODZZDKYMKKZIFGFJFZFKYTNJFNK.
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: M = E
ZRENBLFNTENBIXMGROBPFNPPSMMFMCE,RNIMKMIEKZWPNIEYJZFMQENBTZGGJGXNXBRRMIJQMRMJP.
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: C = H
WQSMXOBBECONOAPVEMDCVOYWMQCODAO;SMHPVRARDXMVXXCWMJ,DWN,XVQSXQCVBHFWNHDEWXCQCSGG.
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: Z = E
AZYZFIKXVHZQWZXZAIYPZYVXQWZAIYTP,AVQWQWZFTIBZYFIXQDFQBAWVFWOYIKYZBBWDBAYIEKWQ.
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: H = E
VHSR-KHBHKHDAH,VHSR-XDYCSHNMH,VHSR-AYDGKYS,-GIHVHGIKHHUSYDHSHUNSJRHGYVYBHKHJMDZYCHK.
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)
- “Here the heart may give a useful lesson to the head, And Learning wiser grow without his books.”— William Cowper, 1785, The Task, Book VI. Winter Walk at Noon. Line 85 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=C B=R C=I D=V E=A F=T G=E H=U I=B J=F K=Z L=G M=S N=D O=N P=J Q=Y R=W S=P T=M U=O V=L W=X X=Q Y=H Z=K
- “Love taught him shame; and shame, with love at strife, Soon taught the sweet civilities of life.”— John Dryden, 1700, Cymon and Iphigenia, Line 133 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=K B=P C=Z D=H E=U F=I G=V H=Y I=C J=L K=E L=N M=W N=F O=G P=X Q=R R=B S=Q T=O U=A V=J W=M X=D Y=S Z=T
- “If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.”— Sun Tzu, 1910, The Art of War (Lionel Giles translation, 1910)Cipher key: A=X B=U C=M D=Q E=Y F=N G=L H=Z I=R J=A K=V L=K M=E N=O O=B P=T Q=D R=F S=H T=W U=P V=J W=C X=S Y=G Z=I
- “I can tell where my own shoe pinches me; and you must not think, sir, to catch old birds with chaff.”— Miguel de Cervantes, 1605, Don Quixote, Part I, Book IV. Chap. V (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=M B=L C=H D=S E=W F=B G=F H=D I=J J=K K=G L=V M=N N=R O=E P=Y Q=C R=U S=A T=Z U=Q V=O W=I X=T Y=P Z=X
- “We recognize the new order in the world, with the closer contacts which progress has wrought.”— Warren G. Harding, 1921, Inaugural AddressCipher key: A=W B=S C=V D=A E=U F=C G=J H=Z I=O J=X K=G L=Y M=F N=B O=P P=D Q=T R=Q S=K T=L U=M V=I W=H X=N Y=R Z=E
- “Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control, - These three alone lead life to sovereign power.”— Alfred Tennyson, 1833, Poems (1832), OEnone (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=C B=V C=W D=N E=B F=X G=T H=E I=H J=I K=R L=U M=G N=D O=M P=Y Q=J R=F S=L T=Q U=A V=S W=Z X=K Y=O Z=P