Puzzle 1
Starter clue: E = O
PEDBJTDYYBQKGEHOEGKRLEHECGKXDLXRXREFQXEBOQRVQLFJQIFQQXECGEHXKHIDLHLRZ.
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
Miguel de Cervantes Cryptograms Set 5
5 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: Q = T
FQFLRQZXVLRJFUDQERQRORUOXLQVRQRYVAWSBLRMQIFQEEFLBZFVUGNVBSZVEVWUSILEFO.
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: S = T
VDIJSLQQHZLXLNKGHJFZGLUVJDZLFNL;IJAKGTNTFSJGSSZVJB,FVX,SGDISDZGQAMVXAFHVSZDZIWW.
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
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- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 4
Starter clue: B = E
TAYWGNGFIAIGNSOZDGRBNWBILGTQDBAKBIQWBUDFOWSTHOMSBO,GTNNGIMTSHWQYSQWNIGYTWBIOGUDBKBSD.
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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- U
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- X
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: V = E
UOWLTYXWGGIVDMTIDTNVWEHVPYMVGIVLOMVIOGTIVA;OWAZIVMVGIVLVRJVTGHOTYW,UVVGZDGIHMYNVWHYWVE.
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 (5 solutions)
- “Would puzzle a convocation of casuists to resolve their degrees of consanguinity.”— Miguel de Cervantes, 1605, Don Quixote, Part I, Book III. Chap. VIII (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=K B=L C=F D=U E=O F=R G=C H=N I=G J=D K=A L=I M=B N=M O=V P=W Q=E R=T S=J T=P U=Q V=H W=X X=S Y=Z Z=Y
- “It is a true saying that a man must eat a peck of salt with his friend before he knows him.”— Miguel de Cervantes, 1605, Don Quixote, Part I, Book III. Chap. I (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=C B=F C=Q D=G E=H F=I G=D H=X I=W J=Y K=Z L=S M=L N=B O=M P=J Q=T R=A S=O T=V U=N V=E W=K X=U Y=P Z=R
- “I can tell where my own shoe pinches me; and you must not think, sir, to catch old birds with chaff.”— Miguel de Cervantes, 1605, Don Quixote, Part I, Book IV. Chap. V (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=D B=K C=Q D=C E=J F=S G=O H=W I=A J=N K=Y L=E M=B N=M O=X P=V Q=L R=G S=T T=U U=P V=I W=F X=R Y=Z Z=H
- “Now had Aurora displayed her mantle over the blushing skies, and dark night withdrawn her sable veil.”— Miguel de Cervantes, 1605, Don Quixote, Part I, Book III. Chap. VI (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=O B=E C=F D=L E=Z F=U G=A H=G I=R J=Q K=V L=M M=K N=D O=S P=J Q=T R=Y S=I T=N U=B V=X W=H X=C Y=W Z=P
- “Many count their chickens before they are hatched; and where they expect bacon, meet with broken bones.”— Miguel de Cervantes, 1615, Don Quixote, Part II, Chap. LV (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=D B=G C=J D=I E=S F=Q G=T H=B I=H J=P K=V L=Y M=R N=K O=A P=F Q=Z R=X S=L T=C U=M V=E W=N X=U Y=O Z=W