Puzzle 1
Starter clue: H = I
HRLCKDLYVNEHBAHLMKLHRHKVRKRYFNYAEYVRYONKJYJZHNVAHVAHLRZNLL.
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 25
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
PUKPEKGNOFUEKOMNLGNOYFPNOCZUYSRCCNJKULKYGKNBUKOMNLGNOYPUEZ.
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 3
Starter clue: H = E
PFHRHHJCETDYFPDAWLHJPNJCTCNLPKBX,KTRTKPNLHQNAPCUHOTHWHAADPO.
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 4
Starter clue: R = E
VROHKODRCVRZETVXACVZCOHZKFZPHOECVRHRZ,PRCGXRHEXCKRZAECXHFOQ.
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 5
Starter clue: K = E
ZIKEMZIZMJKCXCZIKDSKPKCVKEYZIKDKEDTKFKVEGKPMGHZHMTVEUKCMCZ.
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: W = T
QWQGVLYQVLVJUAZIVLIWEYJQNOWILLG,ZCVCEWCLZIJUGEAZIVWEGQWGWQJJ.
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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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)
- “It shows an evil disposition to take advantage of a friend in distress.”— Aesop, 1867, Aesop's Fables (George Fyler Townsend translation, 1867)Cipher key: A=D B=L C=H D=W E=V F=K G=Z H=I I=X J=F K=O L=S M=P N=E O=G P=B Q=U R=T S=Q T=C U=Y V=N W=M X=J Y=A Z=R
- “He that you seat upon your shoulder will often try to get upon your head.”— Danish proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=Q B=G C=L D=J E=A F=S G=Y H=K I=B J=F K=T L=N M=P N=O O=U P=H Q=Z R=I S=W T=V U=E V=M W=X X=C Y=R Z=D
- “The deep of night is crept upon our talk, And nature must obey necessity.”— William Shakespeare, 1599, Julius Caesar, Act IV. Sc. 3 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=S B=L C=O D=I E=F F=H G=J H=E I=Z J=P K=A L=R M=W N=U O=Y P=T Q=M R=D S=Q T=N U=B V=X W=C X=K Y=G Z=V
- “He is like the anchor that is always in the sea, yet does not learn to swim.”— Italian proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=R B=Q C=T D=K E=N F=W G=D H=S I=Z J=X K=L L=P M=J N=V O=I P=Y Q=M R=E S=U T=C U=B V=H W=G X=O Y=F Z=A
- “The oath taken in the presence of the people becomes a mutual covenant.”— Benjamin Harrison, 1889, Inaugural AddressCipher key: A=X B=Z C=N D=P E=O F=B G=M H=U I=H J=K K=E L=W M=A N=D O=J P=S Q=Y R=Q S=R T=L U=V V=C W=G X=I Y=F Z=T
- “It is decidedly harder to climb trees, and not nearly so hard to sit still.”— Robert Louis Stevenson, 1881, Virginibus Puerisque and Other PapersCipher key: A=H B=K C=N D=P E=O F=J G=S H=F I=R J=L K=Z L=E M=G N=M O=B P=W Q=I R=Q S=X T=U U=Y V=D W=T X=V Y=C Z=A