Puzzle 1
Starter clue: I = E
BPGSBZHIJWUJVZHXB,BZGDVHBJWUQIT:UPIHIJIDZTX-HZUBZTXYZUIH-HZUB,YZUIH-UPGIOIBZTXDZTX-UPGIOIB.
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 188
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: C = E
DTUGCDCPCMUJCZGDZSMNRKRRFCJZNCZVPNRTCGF,DCZJCCXWZGGSPCNCJOUVCPNRACUVPCFCVPCVNZVPQJCC.
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: Z = E
TJAZVTUZPAZDFZBZIFZBQNGZTMBZD,VKPKJIFGKMGPGPTVE;NQIDGIFAEYGKMZBOJGKIZPIJIFZSGOTJYWQSGV.
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: D = E
FXFLPDZKHLDTDFLXTHLBEDDBENSLXEFIFWMXTKXXTDEDBNEDWNNWDFWXTDGNEVOFLKPVDXNLXEFIDGFXTTFS.
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: S = E
CWSPSGZVGCCVSAPGSROZWGYGRCWSMTPVO,UROVSUZCTAUVVQSCMSSRSIJUVZ,MWGBWMUZMTRCCTQSLUHRGAGSO.
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
CSHHZJNHSKGHKLRETKJZSHELHSGHKEFHLREKMDTSHTOHFLCJSEVLRJSDLQEKMFJKLDKVEXNDJXELDJKJCXEI.
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)
- “Ships are but boards, sailors but men: there be land-rats and water-rats, water-thieves and land-thieves.”— William Shakespeare, 1597, The Merchant of Venice, Act I. Sc. 3 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=X B=S C=K D=L E=G F=Q G=I H=R I=E J=B K=C L=Z M=J N=F O=V P=H Q=M R=Y S=P T=N U=T V=O W=U X=D Y=W Z=A
- “While we desire always to cooperate and to help, we are equally determined to be independent and free.”— Calvin Coolidge, 1924, State of the Union AddressCipher key: A=B B=X C=E D=W E=K F=P G=L H=V I=G J=R K=C L=J M=S N=T O=M P=D Q=F R=O S=Y T=H U=I V=N W=U X=Q Y=Z Z=A
- “Some asked me where the rubies grew, And nothing I did say; But with my finger pointed to the lips of Julia.”— Robert Herrick, 1648, Hesperides, The Rock of Rubies, and the Quarrie of Pearls (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=M B=R C=X D=W E=Y F=H G=I H=Q I=T J=O K=N L=C M=G N=B O=P P=D Q=U R=V S=L T=S U=K V=A W=J X=Z Y=F Z=E
- “It is because he is thus free from striving that therefore no one in the world is able to strive with him.”— Laozi, 1891, Tao Te Ching (James Legge translation, 1891)Cipher key: A=K B=F C=P D=E E=R F=I G=W H=U I=V J=Y K=A L=S M=G N=O O=D P=B Q=X R=Z S=M T=H U=J V=L W=N X=T Y=Q Z=C
- “There is little friendship in the world, and least of all between equals, which was wont to be magnified.”— Francis Bacon, 1625, The Essays or Counsels, Civil and MoralCipher key: A=F B=C C=T D=Y E=V F=K G=I H=G I=Q J=U K=X L=M M=W N=J O=D P=R Q=B R=N S=E T=O U=A V=L W=H X=Z Y=P Z=S
- “Free government has no greater menace than disrespect for authority and continual violation of law.”— Calvin Coolidge, 1923, State of the Union AddressCipher key: A=B B=X C=F D=I E=A F=C G=M H=E I=W J=O K=N L=T M=D N=V O=P P=Z Q=Y R=H S=R T=S U=K V=U W=Q X=L Y=J Z=G