Puzzle 1
Starter clue: C = E
ICAXMMQGZEXHU,XGUXAJCHXMMFJFYXAHFCGUIWQDQNCYJQNCCJEY.
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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- R
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- T
- U
- V
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- X
- Y
- Z
Medium Cryptograms Set 67
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
FVYGVNYUBOWWVXQWBOUZOUOKVZPGHGBOWOUFINGBVWJNFSUCWJO.
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: W = E
SWISUIUNQKZJUBWLWHVFRG'ZFUNJSFNZJSRLWRTHWRJKWRQUYFWRQ.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: V = E
JSVOZQDOBXJJSVAVOOGATVGVMCTOVJSVGADBENCBEXVOBXJOVVDJ.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: O = E
CKIKOOQGPIENXEENOEKXPFG,CXNNJOEWILJNOQVJILENOGGOWIPOG.
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 6
Starter clue: M = E
MUEMCAMJVMOMMERYWMYCRVTPPX,FHIBPPXRLAXXXMYCJAJJPPITMC.
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)
- “We fall on guard, and after all it is a friend who comes to meet us.”— Robert Louis Stevenson, 1881, Virginibus Puerisque and Other PapersCipher key: A=F B=V C=E D=C E=U F=I G=N H=R I=W J=T K=B L=Y M=L N=M O=X P=J Q=O R=P S=Q T=K U=D V=Z W=H X=A Y=S Z=G
- “Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about.”— Oscar Wilde, 1892, Lady Windermere's FanCipher key: A=X B=R C=B D=C E=Z F=L G=E H=V I=K J=U K=H L=J M=W N=S O=T P=G Q=P R=Q S=Y T=D U=A V=I W=O X=M Y=F Z=N
- “He who would stop every man's mouth must have a great deal of meal.”— Italian proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=X B=P C=Z D=I E=Q F=M G=N H=R I=W J=T K=D L=V M=J N=U O=C P=B Q=L R=A S=H T=G U=O V=Y W=E X=K Y=F Z=S
- “The sky is not the less blue because the blind man does not see it.”— Danish proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=L B=N C=A D=I E=D F=X G=B H=V I=P J=T K=R L=Q M=C N=M O=S P=W Q=Y R=J S=H T=U U=G V=E W=F X=O Y=Z Z=K
- “Who heeds not little things, will be troubled about lesser ones.”— German proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=Z B=C C=W D=V E=T F=G G=S H=X I=O J=B K=H L=U M=P N=L O=E P=N Q=D R=F S=K T=Y U=Q V=A W=R X=I Y=M Z=J
- “Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other.”— Benjamin Franklin, 1757, The Way to Wealth (Poor Richard, 1758), Maxims prefixed to Poor Richard's Almanac, 1757 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=I B=F C=R D=V E=P F=B G=Q H=U I=T J=N K=G L=W M=E N=Y O=K P=O Q=Z R=S S=M T=H U=X V=C W=D X=L Y=A Z=J