Puzzle 1
Starter clue: E = A
EDDVSETZNKYEPKUEVDNALVLTANPGDEAN;MHAKAKYEPKUEVDNJSKVSKYAEBKTZGDEVNNCNUIKTYAETA.
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 42
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: P = N
ODYJDRFPVRBFWVFCYPYPBUYABPWV,OEBREYOYSDPVBPTJFTFJGBFPYVFWJEBHEDJPYGWJDVAWUMDJV.
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: D = E
XYCXZHQHKGPJJJCPRGQDXUSXHDZGYCXZHQRKVGPJZDHDVVOGTYDHKGPJJJCPRGQDFQPADGCDDXAVP.
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: H = E
TMQXDHEMPVMYHXPFDDHJLSMWGRTHFCEWLDP,MTYIFPYLVMTYUFTYKHHGFTCPELXGYVMUHXPKDFHTYP.
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
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- S
- T
- U
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- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 5
Starter clue: T = E
NTREIKYTB'NOLPTEBDBOZEDBIDZUTN,RBXILBNDXTESKTGDNT,GKRSSKTHNKFBRBXGKRSSKTHIUTRPTSL.
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: M = E
MOMAIFUCEPCEEDFZAMLYEFDCERDKKFUMBYQMARYHEDFZAM.MOMAIFUCEPCRGDTMYHYEMUCTTMERFZHH.
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)
- “All change is a miracle to contemplate; but it is a miracle which is taking place every instant.”— Henry David Thoreau, 1854, WaldenCipher key: A=T B=K C=V D=L E=A F=Z G=P H=U I=Y J=W K=I L=O M=B N=E O=F P=M Q=X R=Q S=H T=N U=R V=C W=J X=D Y=S Z=G
- “We are conscious of an animal in us, which awakens in proportion as our higher nature slumbers.”— Henry David Thoreau, 1854, WaldenCipher key: A=L B=I C=F D=E E=H F=O G=T H=G I=Y J=R K=J L=Q M=B N=Z O=W P=N Q=D R=C S=K T=P U=M V=S W=U X=V Y=A Z=X
- “A branch cut off from the adjacent branch must of necessity be cut off from the whole tree also.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=L B=K C=R D=E E=V F=W G=T H=C I=P J=F K=U L=G M=Z N=X O=I P=O Q=H R=M S=J T=Y U=D V=S W=Q X=A Y=B Z=N
- “Nature has made us irrevocably neighbors, and wisdom and kind feeling should make us friends.”— Grover Cleveland, 1886, Second Annual Message to CongressCipher key: A=Q B=J C=G D=R E=H F=I G=L H=E I=W J=V K=F L=O M=A N=X O=Z P=S Q=T R=Y S=C T=N U=K V=M W=B X=U Y=D Z=P
- “Search men's governing principles, and consider the wise, what they shun and what they cleave to.”— Marcus Aurelius, 170, Meditations, IV. 38 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Q B=N C=B D=I E=R F=U G=W H=Y I=C J=Z K=H L=O M=X N=S O=G P=V Q=F R=A S=T T=E U=L V=J W=K X=D Y=M Z=P
- “Everything in Nature contains all the powers of Nature. Everything is made of one hidden stuff.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841, Essays: First Series, Compensation (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=R B=P C=I D=A E=N F=T G=M H=F I=Y J=X K=L L=C M=E N=J O=V P=G Q=W R=S S=Q T=D U=H V=K W=B X=Z Y=O Z=U