Puzzle 1
Starter clue: O = E
IVPVUCTUOFGOUVRVENHDNHRVKOVHRMOBVIHRHCBOPNCIUEBBIOOUEJ,RMOYCHVHEBCQQEIUOIOUQVYOIRA,RMOZVRCQBEIKOEBGIEPIOHH.
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 218
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 = O
WH!WH!KEZTOFUP,RUPDWOQEMWTVMMJB,MTBWTFGEEMW'GGCTMLPMWVGF!WH!WH!KEZTOFUP,RUPAGFRTEMWTGMMJB!LYERGGQYOBQMOGRUPQTMWVGF?
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: T = E
LWTYLWHRQWVITWTMATZVTWFQAKHQRVTPGLXTQPTWTLHEKDDETKHVQLWTMATZV,FEVIQAVFLEVEPYRQWLWYAGTPVZVQWTLZQPQPTEPVQEV.
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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- X
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: R = E
XZRSWFMXRJXWJJIVRNPYERTXFPMQZFTZPMRZRWOXZGCWMSRROJQFOOWXORMBXZLVRKWFOPKRVXZRWVBICRMXJWMNTIJXPCJPSCWMHFMN.
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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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: B = N
WIIKALBRJWCPLYVILFWKPGHLKANBPWBNKAPC,WBGKAPXNBGLJANIT;WBGKAPCPLJAWCGITWBTKALBRDBFNBBPFKPGHLKAWBTNKAPCKALBR.
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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Puzzle 6
Starter clue: T = E
ZHCGZDTR,OUMTQZJTCUYXIPOEZYR,PUBPQZVATEQRUYPYPUCWGTUXGQ;QGTOUQQOTDOTPRHCTZIQGTXPBTURICZBPIPCQZSUTJQGTIOUXGQ.
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)
- “Rigid and expeditious justice is the first safeguard of freedom, the basis of all ordered liberty, the vital force of progress.”— Herbert Hoover, 1929, Inaugural AddressCipher key: A=Y B=F C=A D=J E=O F=X G=P H=S I=R J=M K=C L=K M=H N=U O=E P=G Q=L R=T S=Q T=N U=D V=I W=Z X=W Y=B Z=V
- “Up! up! my friend, and quit your books, Or surely you'll grow double! Up! up! my friend, and clear your looks! Why all this toil and trouble?”— William Wordsworth, 1798, Lyrical Ballads, The Tables Turned (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=C B=S C=G D=Q E=Y F=E G=L H=P I=X J=K K=M L=W M=O N=Z O=I P=D Q=T R=A S=V T=R U=N V=B W=U X=J Y=H Z=F
- “A regard for the requester would often make one readily yield to a request, without waiting for arguments to reason one into it.”— Jane Austen, 1813, Pride and PrejudiceCipher key: A=U B=Z C=B D=Y E=I F=W G=M H=D I=H J=C K=L L=A M=Q N=V O=P P=N Q=O R=F S=J T=E U=X V=T W=R X=K Y=G Z=S
- “The faintest assured objection which one healthy man feels will at length prevail over the arguments and customs of mankind.”— Henry David Thoreau, 1854, WaldenCipher key: A=Q B=G C=M D=X E=J F=I G=Y H=K I=U J=S K=V L=P M=N N=D O=L P=O Q=W R=E S=F T=C U=Z V=R W=A X=T Y=B Z=H
- “All things are implicated with one another, and the bond is holy; and there is hardly anything unconnected with any other thing.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=H B=N C=R D=U E=V F=C G=D H=W I=L J=S K=T L=I M=K N=O O=Q P=E Q=J R=G S=F T=Y U=Z V=P W=A X=B Y=M Z=X
- “Our hopes, like towering falcons, aim at objects in an airy height; The little pleasure of the game is from afar to view the flight.”— Matthew Prior, 1692, To the Hon. Charles Montague (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=J B=M C=R D=P E=C F=Z G=H H=U I=F J=W K=X L=Q M=K N=D O=L P=A Q=T R=S S=V T=E U=I V=B W=Y X=G Y=N Z=O