Puzzle 1
Starter clue: F = E
GAFSQUEZKQYPNJKLAQFLLNUANXFEQZKGLIKYNVNSLKVVEGKNQEMKGJEVFQNDAFVFPFGGFVZKLXMEJFZGAEQKQRSFLGKNQLNUTNQZSTG.
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 217
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: M = I
LBLZXEOMHWAOMPOMQMHTHXATXSLTVEMDVKMQSLTVEMDVKMHMEQLKD,THCELZGMHTELQMHMEQLKD,HIEOTBMHWYZTMQLTQYTZEIDMEQLKD.
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: W = E
JWQUJOCNJWSGDN,CKQFCIIANTXNOWTWDNKCSWDJWFCK,CKQJUGIQPCAKOCYWNOWVBCADWUPOCYAKLAKNWKQWQNOWBWDGINJOAFOWKDGWD.
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: F = N
FYAYENHOKLCZSFSFCOZORSCNFYESFXUYZGBNFCYAENSHYFSVPNPNFKCLZYFCSOFNQRENHHREYMOHOYFHAYESPPRYHHOVPNJGNHCOYFH.
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: W = T
WZAREDWAOBWUWAB,TDWZQGAUWPDLAGUPDWS,KNNAGBDWBMDWDYAEBZDIWKUPPTZKDEQKKONUDWZMKCIPSTDWZWZAGAHRDGACAEWBKNPUT.
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: D = E
VGDFFDSUFEPDPDWGEPOKWEJBD;UEUFEPDTCPDBDKE,FRDDEGOTC-CHDBWEULD,KCEUKTCPDBDKE,FDGA-SUFEBWTEUKI,FDGA-SDFEBJTEULDCKD!
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 unfading boyishness of hope and its vigorous irrationality are nowhere better displayed than in questions of conduct.”— Robert Louis Stevenson, 1881, Virginibus Puerisque and Other PapersCipher key: A=H B=Z C=J D=W E=A F=E G=T H=X I=V J=Y K=I L=S M=L N=O O=M P=B Q=N R=Q S=U T=C U=F V=R W=K X=P Y=G Z=D
- “Everything which is in any way beautiful is beautiful in itself, and terminates in itself, not having praise as part of itself.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=W B=V C=D D=F E=T F=Z G=M H=N I=O J=K K=L L=E M=I N=J O=H P=C Q=S R=X S=B T=A U=Q V=U W=G X=Y Y=P Z=R
- “We do what we must, and call it by the best names we can, and would fain have the praise of having intended the result which ensues.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844, Essays: Second SeriesCipher key: A=I B=R C=A D=S E=Z F=C G=U H=K I=L J=W K=N L=G M=Q N=T O=H P=F Q=D R=J S=M T=B U=O V=P W=E X=Y Y=V Z=X
- “No foresight can anticipate nor any document of reasonable length contain express provisions for all possible questions.”— Abraham Lincoln, 1861, First Inaugural AddressCipher key: A=F B=M C=T D=Z E=R F=N G=U H=S I=W J=Q K=G L=H M=V N=E O=I P=L Q=X R=P S=A T=J U=D V=B W=K X=Y Y=O Z=C
- “The United States, with great liberality, offers its citizenship to all who in good faith comply with the requirements of law.”— Ulysses S. Grant, 1875, Seventh Annual Message to CongressCipher key: A=E B=S C=M D=I E=N F=J G=R H=Q I=P J=V K=O L=B M=C N=F O=D P=L Q=G R=U S=Y T=W U=A V=X W=T X=K Y=Z Z=H
- “Blessed is the healthy nature; it is the coherent, sweetly co-operative, not incoherent, self-distracting, self-destructive one!”— Thomas Carlyle, 1838, Sir Walter Scott. London and Westminster Review, 1838 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=F B=R C=O D=E E=T F=S G=L H=P I=G J=U K=N L=V M=Q N=J O=Y P=H Q=Z R=W S=D T=C U=I V=B W=A X=K Y=M Z=X