Puzzle 1
Starter clue: V = A
DQXNVBUYVPNXVXNOGGUTNXZVBPTMKPMVUIVTPNXT.
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
Nature 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: Q = E
MVYQZKLQFZQQVINNYKZQQILNRNJQDKNRAQIAKLPQ.
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: B = A
IQLIXLBTZVZXZHBNQOGBHZBPQVMBHQXGIJVSQBVZ.
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: I = T
WDIPSXKZIADTTLXSJLZTYSXWUZILAFBXILZWRIFYF.
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 = T
QWSBFGZGFLBTSNEZNIVT,IGSTZWEGTWKAZWSRSARII.
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: X = T
XBAZIRUJWWKYJRDXNWJDBXUBLXWLFIRPAYXBAZRNU.
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)
- “Fire and water are good servants but bad masters.”— Danish proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=P B=N C=X D=F E=Q F=K G=O H=J I=M J=H K=U L=Y M=B N=E O=G P=T Q=I R=Z S=L T=S U=D V=A W=C X=R Y=W Z=V
- “Under the greenwood tree who loves to lie with me.”— William Shakespeare, 1600, As You Like It, Act II. Sc. 5 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=I B=Y C=X D=S E=A F=G G=P H=J I=W J=V K=T L=H M=U N=O O=Q P=M Q=E R=L S=F T=B U=Z V=N W=K X=C Y=D Z=R
- “He who wants to travel far takes care of his beast.”— French proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=D B=A C=Q D=Y E=M F=U G=F H=R I=H J=I K=P L=W M=C N=V O=L P=K Q=E R=Z S=B T=N U=X V=S W=G X=O Y=J Z=T
- “Nature fits all her children with something to do.”— James Russell Lowell, 1848, A Fable for Critics (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=S B=M C=J D=A E=Q F=O G=P H=K I=T J=C K=F L=H M=B N=Z O=V P=U Q=X R=G S=R T=L U=W V=Y W=N X=E Y=D Z=I
- “Nature her custom holds, Let shame say what it will.”— William Shakespeare, 1601, Hamlet, Act IV. Sc. 7 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=W B=U C=Z D=J E=M F=R G=E H=B I=L J=P K=Y L=C M=K N=O O=X P=G Q=N R=I S=T T=S U=F V=D W=A X=Q Y=V Z=H
- “The sun will bring to light what lay under the snow.”— German proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=E B=H C=V D=G E=M F=Y G=X H=K I=U J=I K=B L=A M=C N=O O=J P=D Q=P R=N S=Z T=F U=W V=Q W=L X=T Y=R Z=S