Puzzle 1
Starter clue: F = A
NSJUEEWFQ'BEWFQ,FJYWFXIFKEFHBQFSIJRFTIUGQWIPFNJRWFJRI.
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
- S
- T
- U
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- X
- Y
- Z
Miguel de Cervantes Cryptograms Set 3
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: J = N
ZGSZJCONUJZNMHUIAAMLZIJ,MJGLIWUBZWULONUJZNMHUJIIAAMLZIJ.
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 3
Starter clue: R = A
NFZOXZPBSRJIOMJZPIEMRZU,RPXVRAZPBWCFUJMODRORFBEZPB-JICSA.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
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- X
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: X = T
TPA'XWEXXPPRBAUYWPBAXXPVPELHBXRPLRUYLBXNCPEJTMUXSJEAXUT.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: I = E
ZYIQIJIQIOTZZJXREWCACIGCUZYIJXQAN,YEMI-WTLYEUNYEMI-ACZZAI.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
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Puzzle 6
Starter clue: S = H
DSWACIJBWDDPSCFYDSTBMHOWZRTZAYQFSWPWF,YRYHTDTABVSYQFSWHZI.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
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- X
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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)
- “I know what's what, and have always taken care of the main chance.”— Miguel de Cervantes, 1605, Don Quixote, Part I, Book III. Chap. IX (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=B B=S C=U D=Z E=W F=A G=F H=Y I=E J=N K=L L=P M=J N=I O=X P=M Q=T R=C S=K T=R U=O V=Q W=H X=V Y=D Z=G
- “I drink when I have occasion, and sometimes when I have no occasion.”— Miguel de Cervantes, 1615, Don Quixote, Part II, Chap. XXXIII (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=C B=T C=K D=P E=X F=L G=D H=V I=O J=N K=U L=S M=A N=H O=W P=Y Q=F R=Q S=R T=B U=E V=G W=M X=J Y=Z Z=I
- “Building castles in the air, and making yourself a laughing-stock.”— Miguel de Cervantes, 1615, Don Quixote, Part II, Chap. XXXI (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=K B=G C=O D=F E=H F=U G=W H=X I=T J=S K=V L=Q M=E N=B O=L P=N Q=Z R=A S=C T=J U=R V=M W=Y X=D Y=P Z=I
- “Don't put too fine a point to your wit for fear it should get blunted.”— Miguel de Cervantes, 1613, La Gitanilla (Exemplary Novels), The Little Gypsy (La Gitanilla) (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=N B=I C=H D=M E=U F=Z G=K H=W I=Q J=L K=J L=R M=G N=S O=V P=O Q=X R=F S=B T=D U=E V=Y W=P X=T Y=A Z=C
- “There were but two families in the world, Have-much and have-little.”— Miguel de Cervantes, 1615, Don Quixote, Part II, Chap. XX (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=L B=P C=I D=J E=A F=Z G=S H=Q I=E J=W K=Y L=C M=V N=D O=B P=G Q=R R=F S=X T=U U=N V=K W=M X=O Y=H Z=T
- “She may guess what I should perform in the wet, if I do so much in the dry.”— Miguel de Cervantes, 1605, Don Quixote, Part I, Book III. Chap. XI (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=M B=U C=A D=S E=Z F=T G=V H=D I=Y J=G K=Q L=X M=L N=J O=P P=W Q=N R=F S=H T=O U=K V=C W=E X=B Y=I Z=R