Puzzle 1
Starter clue: N = E
BFQGWFZPGYNKJQAPCDACNP,GWJQPKCGNP,DNWNJENPFSGYNHWDJAHQSZCNQBN,JQAGYNHWTFFAWNBNHENP.
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 178
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: F = E
CFCQXXJEUHJUQVQGHUFUSFGHNU;NEKQJB,AEZJIGFEGXF,-EZPPFUPENGFVUQEJCQXXRFHXXUEUSFWZUZPF.
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: S = A
VZCJVZCKHKRVZPQSPASFKYHNIJVIUVCONEFANERKECNJEGZKENJHSIQPSA,NIEHCISENVISPSIQPVJSP.
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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- U
- V
- W
- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 4
Starter clue: W = N
HVADAYFHVAFKTACMDPJOMDKPPMORF,KWJSMMJKWJAUYP,FYWKWJYWWMXAWXA,SMHVDMRSVYHVKWJYWVKWJ.
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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- W
- X
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- Z
Puzzle 5
Starter clue: D = A
OQVIMCEQRMIOQWUVOP.QYWMODUMOHUQUDIZMEMGFGDVXDOMPPKDKBGMIDIVYIUMUDXGDVXDODIWMEQVX.
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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- U
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- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 6
Starter clue: W = E
IVQQJQQANWHQJPPWPANWLW,IXLRNOPNXFQKWDWLOBLWJAFLWKLVZYMFAV?RNO,EJZXIEXLJQP,AWQQEWRNO?
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)
- “Controls them and subdues, transmutes, bereaves of their bad influence, and their good receives.”— William Wordsworth, 1807, Poems in Two Volumes, Character of the Happy Warrior (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=D B=C C=U D=B E=V F=O G=T H=I I=Z J=A K=M L=X M=Y N=E O=K P=S Q=N R=P S=F T=G U=J V=Q W=R X=W Y=H Z=L
- “We will not anticipate the past; so mind, young people, - our retrospection will be all to the future.”— Richard Brinsley Sheridan, 1775, The Rivals, Act IV. Sc. 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Y B=D C=W D=Q E=O F=E G=P H=A I=G J=N K=M L=J M=K N=S O=X P=R Q=I R=B S=H T=Z U=T V=C W=F X=L Y=V Z=U
- “Our course should always be in conformity with strict justice and law, international and local.”— Ulysses S. Grant, 1869, First Annual Message to CongressCipher key: A=W B=P C=R D=X E=T F=Y G=J H=E I=N J=C K=S L=V M=K N=I O=M P=L Q=D R=H S=A T=G U=F V=O W=Q X=Z Y=B Z=U
- “There is the same world for all of us, and good and evil, sin and innocence, go through it hand in hand.”— Oscar Wilde, 1892, Lady Windermere's FanCipher key: A=E B=P C=W D=R E=Q F=S G=Y H=T I=X J=D K=A L=Z M=O N=J O=F P=L Q=K R=U S=G T=M U=V V=H W=N X=C Y=I Z=B
- “Noise proves nothing. Often a hen who has merely laid an egg cackles as if she had laid an asteroid.”— Mark Twain, 1897, Following the EquatorCipher key: A=B B=K C=P D=A E=R F=Y G=L H=W I=S J=U K=C L=J M=E N=X O=N P=G Q=O R=V S=Z T=Q U=H V=I W=T X=D Y=F Z=M
- “Fill all the glasses there, for why should every creature drink but I? Why, man of morals, tell me why?”— Abraham Cowley, 1656, Poems, From Anacreon, II. Drinking (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=T B=C C=P D=V E=M F=U G=Z H=G I=F J=A K=D L=R M=B N=H O=Y P=S Q=L R=W S=J T=X U=Q V=I W=E X=O Y=K Z=N