Puzzle 1
Starter clue: A = T
OAOLKLOEEQSOLVAVKAOLTKDJVAAZOTMZOAVAVMLKNMWKOA.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
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- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
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- R
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- T
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- X
- Y
- Z
Medium Cryptograms Set 39
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: O = T
GFZAOGEREHVTNHFOTEMWLEAZ,OFZOFNMRMIAVWGWSGNOFNO.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
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Puzzle 3
Starter clue: M = S
RWXLAWBWMMETHFJAVAWMMESHFJGJMK,RJKYWWQLKEVHMFJB.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: V = N
YVHYVB,VNXCYVUYQQSYFVNRXCSXCSQVNXMBBVQSYFMBHNKB.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: R = O
OGTORXMBQPBXYRQYRXUKVRRLJSO,BDTBAMYRGMVRRDXVVDG.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
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- M
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Puzzle 6
Starter clue: M = O
QMI'YYSJMLULUZZMNJMBQKSMVKYABBZMNSUFVPMYIVLMIVK.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
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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)
- “It is a silly fish that is caught twice with the same bait.”— English proverb, 1859, Recorded in Walter K. Kelly, Proverbs of All Nations, Compared, Explained, and Illustrated (London, 1859)Cipher key: A=T B=D C=R D=U E=L F=K G=Q H=Z I=N J=G K=A L=S M=E N=M O=I P=X Q=Y R=V S=F T=C U=P V=H W=B X=O Y=J Z=W
- “When two dogs fight for a bone, the third runs away with it.”— Dutch proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=N B=V C=P D=Z E=O F=H G=W H=G I=U J=Q K=L L=B M=R N=I O=T P=J Q=C R=D S=Y T=F U=K V=S W=A X=M Y=X Z=E
- “Be careless in your dress if you must, but keep a tidy soul.”— Mark Twain, 1897, Following the EquatorCipher key: A=R B=L C=V D=H E=I F=O G=M H=Y I=X J=U K=T L=A M=S N=G O=Z P=W Q=P R=B S=F T=N U=J V=D W=E X=C Y=K Z=Q
- “In fine, nothing is said now that has not been said before.”— Terence, 161 BC, Eunuchus, The Prologue. 41 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Y B=E C=H D=C E=U F=D G=Q H=F I=J J=K K=R L=V M=B N=O O=X P=Z Q=S R=W S=A T=L U=G V=N W=M X=T Y=I Z=P
- “He who is afraid of doing too much, always does too little.”— German proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=Y B=A C=B D=L E=Z F=P G=E H=Q I=K J=U K=G L=M M=S N=X O=H P=R Q=F R=O S=C T=W U=N V=T W=J X=I Y=D Z=V
- “Don't throw away your old shoes till you have got new ones.”— Dutch proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=I B=L C=F D=K E=X F=V G=Q H=P I=N J=R K=S L=W M=O N=U O=B P=G Q=D R=Z S=H T=C U=A V=E W=J X=M Y=T Z=Y