Puzzle 1
Starter clue: E = O
VJVCQXVLRCHFYEDPYFVWQECX,VNCEWEDPEEWX,UKEXYDFEUYPVCHDPRQWVTYQXWKYUEPFH.
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 37
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: C = A
QJSQXJKNCKDCEJQZUBCFJXGEJLCUKSUISABKNCKQZKTSQQJFBSUKNJFCGXFSCRKFCTEB.
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: A = T
GAAHXRAABHHMK,GMKMHQHPDAGMKATKTILA;MTABWMC'DDTBGPKLIADHGPFBYWSSOWMKWATIA.
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: M = A
BWIVIEMVSQWMBTKKFBWIFDWLKMV'FKTNIMFFMTK,-BLTK,IOPH,QMOB,BWIUMBVLO,MOZBWICMTK.
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 5
Starter clue: U = E
ZPHCQWAIKUQBA,HUDHUQKUQWAIKUSHUUMU,JETZQWAIKUQIPHQ,PARSETQQTCQWAIKUIHUUQ.
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: Y = T
YRBWTTDTWIUYSOBXYTTMNQYRXYSZQMBGBXUIMFUZQIFETSYR,YRUYYBXYQWQBMXSOZOQXB.
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)
- “A man is a bundle of relations, a knot of roots, whose flower and fruitage is the world.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841, Essays: First Series, History (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=J B=Y C=N D=F E=O F=L G=Q H=D I=X J=M K=H L=B M=P N=K O=Z P=R Q=I R=U S=C T=G U=W V=A W=T X=S Y=E Z=V
- “People that make puns are like wanton boys that put coppers on the railroad tracks.”— Oliver Wendell Holmes, 1858, The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table, I (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Y B=S C=A D=M E=K F=R G=I H=J I=B J=E K=T L=W M=Z N=H O=G P=Q Q=P R=D S=O T=C U=N V=X W=V X=L Y=F Z=U
- “Attempt the end, and never stand to doubt; Nothing's so hard but search will find it out.”— Robert Herrick, 1648, Hesperides, Seek and Find (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=T B=H C=G D=S E=J F=C G=A H=E I=U J=X K=D L=B M=N N=Y O=F P=R Q=V R=P S=L T=O U=Z V=K W=I X=M Y=W Z=Q
- “There mark what ills the scholar's life assail, - Toil, envy, want, the patron, and the jail.”— Samuel Johnson, 1749, The Vanity of Human Wishes, Line 159 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Z B=T C=J D=C E=M F=S G=Q H=Y I=E J=X K=L L=O M=A N=F O=N P=V Q=W R=G S=K T=I U=P V=R W=H X=U Y=B Z=D
- “Warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze, Glows in the stars, and blossoms in the trees.”— Alexander Pope, 1734, An Essay on Man, Epistle I. Line 271 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=N B=U C=M D=F E=L F=K G=C H=R I=T J=G K=H L=J M=Z N=X O=V P=A Q=S R=D S=B T=O U=E V=Y W=I X=P Y=Q Z=W
- “The fool of nature stood with stupid eyes and gaping mouth, that testified surprise.”— John Dryden, 1700, Cymon and Iphigenia, Line 107 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Q B=E C=B D=L E=M F=G G=Y H=C I=N J=Z K=V L=X M=D N=W O=R P=K Q=I R=H S=U T=O U=A V=J W=F X=S Y=T Z=P