Puzzle 1
Starter clue: J = O
WTSRAWTJCMTJPYSRNPRXJAWTBPJMIXJJNPBPRHEJPWRPXRFRPREJWTSCMTJWRHNPRXJAWTSCJMIGTBHFCSI.
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 186
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: H = A
SVHOZXEVKZEBMQVFOSSEGFTGHTKHOAZPVFQS,HOMPLIHSZSLIIWIZEXTHBBIVWPVFSFPZDWHSLEAZHOMHVSZ.
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: Q = E
TKSWBINWYNWBQPLKYQHTIVQQWQTNQYKAWIBNKWYERKRIHQFYQ,FNVQVNWHPQHHPKLY,CQQWTNWUFQHNWBKKWQ.
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: M = O
HVMIPUYTUNGMSXIMHNVYG:IUHVMIZGCODUWXMCBGUPAUG,MBIUHVMIIKUBUIUWZVSNVYNVSMBQZXNMVCRMVNX.
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: L = A
JPGLKBLUUPJNRKZLJEPZQ,ULKCRLZBQVLUU,PWKLJJEJWBRVWQJORPZRPAFPKBELULZBQEZFRKRAKERZBQNEM.
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
NWHFHAAWUYFZBEBQH,DBXJWAUFYHIBZYWMAMIBAHECMRLNHF.YHEBZEMAFFMZGHBQGNBWABACFMFYHGRXGMZH.
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)
- “The author who speaks about his own books is almost as bad as a mother who talks about her own children.”— Benjamin Disraeli, 1870, Speech, Nov. 19, 1870 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=U B=I C=R D=X E=M F=D G=C H=L I=N J=O K=Z L=G M=W N=K O=J P=S Q=V R=A S=E T=H U=F V=Y W=T X=B Y=P Z=Q
- “Transforms old print to zigzag manuscript, and cheats the eyes of gallery critics by a thousand arts.”— William Cowper, 1785, The Task, Book II. The Timepiece. Line 363 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=U B=L C=Q D=B E=O F=I G=Z H=A I=E J=K K=M L=H M=D N=V O=N P=C Q=P R=X S=T T=G U=W V=R W=Y X=F Y=J Z=S
- “Mountains interposed make enemies of nations who had else, Like kindred drops, been mingled into one.”— William Cowper, 1785, The Task, Book II. The Timepiece. Line 17 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=F B=T C=B D=Z E=W F=L G=Q H=D I=A J=Y K=O L=P M=J N=I O=V P=R Q=E R=H S=U T=M U=G V=K W=N X=C Y=S Z=X
- “Knowledge is of two kinds: we know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it.”— Samuel Johnson, 1791, Boswell, Life of Johnson, Life of Johnson (Boswell). Vol. V. Chap. IX (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=V B=R C=U D=J E=Q F=X G=S H=K I=W J=Y K=H L=Z M=O N=I O=B P=L Q=M R=P S=F T=G U=E V=N W=C X=T Y=D Z=A
- “Toward all other nations, large and small, our attitude must be one of cordial and sincere friendship.”— Theodore Roosevelt, 1905, Inaugural AddressCipher key: A=F B=D C=G D=J E=I F=C G=W H=K I=Y J=T K=R L=A M=P N=H O=B P=O Q=S R=E S=Z T=X U=L V=M W=U X=Q Y=V Z=N
- “Lie ten nights awake, carving the fashion of a new doublet. He was wont to speak plain and to the purpose.”— William Shakespeare, 1599, Much Ado about Nothing, Act II. Sc. 3 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=N B=A C=D D=C E=W F=T G=P H=E I=F J=V K=M L=B M=O N=L O=Q P=J Q=K R=U S=X T=Y U=G V=Z W=I X=R Y=H Z=S