Puzzle 1
Starter clue: G = E
ZGUJLMKVQCKDLOUMXWGFQUQJCQFLTFGYTQJGS,XMQLTKNULOCYCUQJGNKHDG,CTVZGUJLMKVQCDGRYGCQFCYGZJGYGZGVYCZQJGKHTG.
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 215
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: P = A
IZC'KDBNAIZCEKPQZPWPQXZYFTELZRQTFQEBCZK;PCNELRCAKFBESPQNNFNQPSELZRCSPQNMBPYREOPTEZQELZI,EFKBTTZQPYYPYRUZ.
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: B = A
GOWTAFLWA,CGAFOQLBORW,WJRWKQBLBVKBOGABLFLKW-VBHW,BOGLMWATGADQBTBULMWPGEUGCLMWPGGD,BOEBLMFAEFQBEBPBLBOFOEWJ.
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: K = E
KQKJDGRMZTBRTOKHBLGROKSZTVZYK,KQKMZMZBTHKBRZVT,ELJBSDLYBSKXLMBKGIVRBZLMLYSZTGLTBKVKQRBKHRMHXJZBZXRVSLNJ.
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: A = E
WDAHGXCAZFAQSGFWIGWTPIGVSEAVXAGWTPIGFMAZFWSSHZQSGQALWXSGF;MDAWDAZMAWZICATBIFWSZFTSM,WDAWZIQJXFTIXVBSZHF.
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: V = E
JPXVOURNFVDHIVLDJJFVIPLYZOMVEDLIDAVUZFJPXVOOZTJPIV,DLYYVGDFHPLN,JVDXVTVBPLYZORUUHGFPLHOULHBVODLYOURHPIV.
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)
- “We should talk of subjects that concern them, but only so far as they like, and we should take great care where we draw the line.”— Francois de La Rochefoucauld, 1871, Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (J. Hain Friswell translation, 1871)Cipher key: A=Z B=V C=A D=K E=P F=C G=E H=I I=Q J=H K=L L=O M=U N=Y O=F P=X Q=T R=G S=M T=N U=S V=D W=J X=B Y=R Z=W
- “Men's judgments are a parcel of their fortunes; and things outward do draw the inward quality after them, To suffer all alike.”— William Shakespeare, 1606, Antony and Cleopatra, Act III. Sc. 13 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=G B=U C=N D=J E=T F=O G=V H=B I=M J=X K=S L=H M=Q N=D O=Y P=A Q=R R=I S=W T=F U=K V=Z W=P X=C Y=L Z=E
- “One writer, for instance, excels at a plan or a title-page, another works away the body of the book, and a third is a dab at an index.”— Oliver Goldsmith, 1759, The Bee, No. 1, Oct. 6, 1759 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=R B=A C=F D=K E=D F=I G=O H=G I=J J=X K=L L=T M=H N=Q O=N P=B Q=S R=C S=U T=W U=Y V=P W=E X=V Y=Z Z=M
- “Every man is tasked to make his life, even in its details, worthy of the contemplation of his most elevated and critical hour.”— Henry David Thoreau, 1854, WaldenCipher key: A=B B=T C=G D=Y E=W F=Q G=M H=D I=P J=R K=E L=O M=N N=U O=K P=J Q=V R=A S=H T=S U=Z V=L W=X X=C Y=F Z=I
- “The universe constantly and obediently answers to our conceptions; whether we travel fast or slow, the track is laid for us.”— Henry David Thoreau, 1854, WaldenCipher key: A=E B=F C=V D=H E=B F=S G=N H=U I=A J=K K=X L=P M=W N=M O=Q P=Y Q=C R=J S=O T=L U=G V=D W=T X=I Y=Z Z=R
- “Lives of great men all remind us we can make our lives sublime, And departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time.”— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1841, Ballads and Other Poems, A Psalm of Life (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=K B=H C=J D=A E=C F=R G=P H=T I=M J=L K=X L=N M=W N=G O=S P=I Q=Z R=F S=Y T=B U=O V=E W=Q X=V Y=D Z=U