Puzzle 1
Starter clue: G = E
GZGCRUGFCKKUFKUFLNGFKLKCXAYFAHTUGGCWOEERUFLEGWKFUXIGWOEVBIOELGNGUVAHVKVAKUGSXCEH,FAHNGKKGCGHKUGKCFHVKVXAXWBFAJVAH.
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 227
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: R = T
WUWDKRQYLCFQYOQQXSSWLZWYRQWDQXSSWLZYLZAOQFYZWXZRQTAXDRETDJWINKLXRADWRTNWXDYR,TDXZRQTAXDRLTRETDJWINKLXRADWRTNWXDYR.
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: X = E
FDXNXVXNXTXSFPXUXSYSAFDXNXVXNXIXYUXSZSFDXSYCRBGWDYNPXIZZ.KHFFDXIXYUXSVXNXSBFTXSFPXUXS,YSAFDXTXSFPXUXSVXNXSBFIXYUXS.
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: E = T
EUTAZEYLMZCGAYMWYGCTIUYWUAXCTRUZREUYRMZEXAT,EUZEYEYRWLMETMEIYEUYERTCHIUTMYEJLTRIUZEYRFXRE,ZMJRLRTWXATREAZMVXYCCYES.
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: V = E
NVPRZVGKGVOORZGSFGAVOKIVCOFGGVULVIVPGSKRESAVFUVPKGMVXVQIVMDLQG,DVXFRZVQGZSKAZGSFGAVFUVKCQNBKUGFPXVVPKRESGKDVXKRUGVM.
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: X = I
XYHNXYKKNNH,XYAOFGXYKRWDTFL,XYIWIMOXYXYKXMINAYVZNVFZXYDXYXIMZSXYKMNNMRZSYOMXNYI,ODZSXUOAXFFANSGNWMXMINAYDXKRMLHZIMXYL.
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)
- “Every heart that has beat strong and cheerfully has left a hopeful impulse behind it in the world, and bettered the tradition of mankind.”— Robert Louis Stevenson, 1881, Virginibus Puerisque and Other PapersCipher key: A=N B=M C=R D=J E=L F=A G=E H=D I=P J=K K=T L=S M=X N=B O=U P=Q Q=Z R=Y S=W T=C U=H V=I W=F X=O Y=G Z=V
- “Everything which happens either happens in such wise as thou art formed by nature to bear it, or as thou art not formed by nature to bear it.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=U B=K C=G D=R E=F F=W G=L H=J I=D J=M K=Y L=N M=X N=B O=C P=Z Q=H R=T S=P T=O U=V V=Q W=E X=A Y=I Z=S
- “There were gentlemen and there were seamen in the navy of Charles II. But the seamen were not gentlemen, and the gentlemen were not seamen.”— Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1849, The History of England, Vol. I. Chap. II (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=D B=O C=V D=H E=Q F=T G=F H=U I=S J=Z K=B L=K M=J N=R O=P P=L Q=X R=Y S=N T=G U=M V=W W=C X=E Y=A Z=I
- “The rational principle which rules has this nature, that it is content with itself when it does what is just, and so secures tranquillity.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=R B=X C=L D=K E=T F=J G=P H=F I=W J=D K=G L=O M=N N=Z O=V P=M Q=B R=S S=Y T=E U=H V=Q W=C X=U Y=I Z=A
- “Men use to tell us that we love flattery even though we are not deceived by it, because it shows that we are of importance enough to be courted.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844, Essays: Second SeriesCipher key: A=W B=P C=F D=B E=G F=A G=T H=K I=V J=X K=O L=Y M=D N=M O=L P=N Q=I R=U S=H T=J U=R V=E W=Z X=C Y=Q Z=S
- “In doing good, in walking humbly, in sustaining its own people in ministering to other nations, America will work out its own mighty destiny.”— Calvin Coolidge, 1927, State of the Union AddressCipher key: A=W B=Q C=J D=M E=F F=L G=K H=D I=S J=Z K=G L=Y M=T N=O O=A P=X Q=V R=H S=R T=B U=C V=P W=U X=I Y=N Z=E