Puzzle 1
Starter clue: P = E
GZPRWOGNAPERHFQXFOHREMPOGFRGZPANNO,UZPORZPHPRPQGRGZPOEJZGZEHEOZPQYFVFOGEOGPQMWOFQVFYP.
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 47
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: B = T
SXGFBCXBFGBMCHDRCHQRDDVYXWABXFALXVDAMLMCBBPMBRBQRDDVYXWABXFA,DROAWRYBGA,MYAQMYSBXRBLADZ.
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 = E
UGYEAKUAOMNKRAWSAKBOMUFRNFWONKUGYAJGWYUNGWOMUKKAJAGSAFFAQAJWOUHRNJYWGYWMQWGSAFLAJAHWMA.
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: C = E
GJCEVCTYVMXKLYXWTOQCBGJEGGJCGXCXNGJCWCEYELGOXDCYYXLCEMGJCJCCFXNGJCOXAMGTCM,JCVEFFYJTYQTUC.
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: I = E
FSFZOYXOXJPIYZBSJWISIXPFVIGRISRIXZRI[VYSTXI]RYZDXJNIWSJRFPYEFVWDYXIVSJXYPIXKFCIZZZSIDPJSRIX.
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: E = T
VXEHWSHVEDISHCSLCEVWT;IW,UOQHSIMHZEIVCEVWKOMFSVMVECHV,JYHMEYHWHVWHMIKODELVUCEIPHPILFYEJOEYOE.
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)
- “The sun to me is dark and silent as the moon, When she deserts the night Hid in her vacant interlunar cave.”— John Milton, 1671, Samson Agonistes, Line 86 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=M B=F C=Q D=P E=I F=A G=T H=D I=X J=G K=Z L=J M=L N=O O=N P=E Q=R R=S S=B T=Y U=W V=C W=U X=K Y=V Z=H
- “Doubt not but angling will prove to be so pleasant that it will prove to be, like virtue, a reward to itself.”— Izaak Walton, 1653, The Complete Angler, Part I. Chap. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=E B=T C=N D=L E=J F=B G=U H=G I=Y J=M K=X L=S M=A N=C O=K P=H Q=W R=I S=D T=Q U=Z V=P W=V X=O Y=R Z=F
- “In the field of peaceful disposal of international differences several important advances were made.”— Theodore Roosevelt, 1907, Seventh Annual Message to CongressCipher key: A=E B=U C=G D=X E=H F=S G=N H=M I=K J=R K=F L=W M=D N=O O=L P=Q Q=V R=P S=C T=J U=I V=B W=A X=Z Y=T Z=Y
- “The age is grown so picked that the toe of the peasant comes so near the heel of the courtier, he galls his kibe.”— William Shakespeare, 1601, Hamlet, Act V. Sc. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=U B=D C=E D=M E=A F=L G=T H=Q I=Z J=H K=W L=N M=R N=F O=C P=V Q=K R=J S=Y T=I U=B V=G W=P X=O Y=S Z=X
- “It is far from easy to determine whether she [Nature] has proved to him a kind parent or a merciless stepmother.”— Pliny the Elder, 77, Natural History (Naturalis Historia), Book VII. Sect. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=G B=Y C=L D=P E=K F=I G=W H=B I=E J=O K=C L=J M=Q N=V O=F P=M Q=X R=H S=T T=U U=Z V=N W=D X=R Y=A Z=S
- “After meat comes mustard; or, like money to a starving man at sea, when there are no victuals to be bought with it.”— Miguel de Cervantes, 1605, Don Quixote, Part I, Book III. Chap. VIII (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=P B=J C=S D=C E=T F=G G=Z H=E I=O J=W K=V L=U M=N N=Q O=I P=B Q=K R=X S=M T=D U=L V=A W=R X=F Y=H Z=Y