Puzzle 1
Starter clue: L = N
XDQLWGEWLEFZLFAGPDGXDQLWGNLWVL,XIFFNGWKFVWZGPOGWKFNLWVL.
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 83
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: N = O
GNYJNKJ,GNYJFXX!UZRVLNGQVZFXXOXWOLNYRUVORLYIFVJFVVNNKFVR.
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: J = E
CMLSZJUTZJFCLXMQBLSUUTCDDQYYPLMQXD,DJJNDUMYBJZTCPJYMQBL.
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: H = E
APFHJAIDHITZHINYPJJIMEPNNXHOZIKSHJNEZJXIWOKTMHHKXEZJHJ.
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: S = I
EYSVUVIPJSVTASPJILPRQQSVTSP,RSTVVIPJSVTASPJILPYQFESVTSP.
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: N = A
LWNYNYNGDRULNTWPDRLWPREXKMWKTVNRQNTGPQLWXLNTDRYWPVNTGPY!
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)
- “I am not concerned that I am not known, I seek to be worthy to be known.”— Confucius, 1861, The Analects (James Legge translation, 1861)Cipher key: A=D B=Q C=V D=A E=C F=E G=T H=L I=S J=U K=B L=N M=J N=K O=Y P=H Q=M R=G S=X T=Z U=P V=W W=O X=I Y=F Z=R
- “Come one, come all! this rock shall fly from its firm base as soon as I.”— Sir Walter Scott, 1810, The Lady of the Lake, Canto V. Stanza 10 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=P B=G C=V D=J E=X F=A G=C H=Z I=B J=E K=N L=R M=W N=O O=F P=U Q=K R=I S=D T=Q U=T V=S W=Y X=L Y=M Z=H
- “To have lived through all its sunny hours, seems longevity enough.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844, Essays: Second SeriesCipher key: A=B B=G C=T D=S E=P F=D G=J H=F I=W J=E K=X L=H M=O N=M O=C P=Y Q=U R=Q S=A T=I U=L V=Z W=K X=R Y=N Z=V
- “Mules make a great fuss about their ancestors having been horses.”— German proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=M B=Q C=Z D=K E=O F=L G=J H=E I=A J=S K=N L=P M=B N=T O=I P=U Q=Y R=X S=C T=G U=W V=D W=V X=H Y=F Z=R
- “Drink nothing without seeing it, sign nothing without reading it.”— Portuguese proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=W B=Z C=M D=L E=D F=A G=V H=P I=O J=H K=Q L=U M=F N=X O=J P=T Q=E R=S S=I T=G U=K V=N W=C X=B Y=R Z=Y
- “What a taking was he in when your husband asked who was in the basket!”— William Shakespeare, 1597, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act III. Sc. 3 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=J B=C C=V D=I E=Y F=L G=K H=Q I=Z J=X K=U L=W M=R N=A O=P P=E Q=D R=N S=M T=S U=G V=B W=H X=O Y=T Z=F