Puzzle 1
Starter clue: Q = E
UDQDRYUDIMBZCTD,YVUDTQRUTZQBQRUDUDQTDRLQ,NIMURKXVBHRHQRBLYDVTEQMVBHKISQMTWRLQ.
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
Oliver Goldsmith Cryptograms Set 4
5 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: S = T
ZQDXRLYJSYAZSTSXAI,SXAYFXALNSXYSIYHXSXQFS;YS'ZNYGAZAJRYJHSXAIFQVVNAZPXAJPLJSYJHLZXYFS.
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: S = E
XASRSWXSSCXAHWRHDXASRSWXSSCXAHWREWVXHYS,HIEDUSXAEXERSWXCSYEWUSSDHWEPBWPEXSWEXHBWEPPBKNHWRCV.
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: X = A
VAWFTCMWT,JVTCANMXALW,WSLWKNXMXQKXAVTXMCMKW-QXDW,XAVMUWTFVTRNXFXBMUWHVYBVJMUWHVVR,XAYXMUCTYCNXYXHXMXACAYWS.
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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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: L = H
BLYCOKZUXBWUHKDRKBLJRTIZBLJTLUJDY,WRXLJTL-UJEYXMKFQWRC,OJBLKBLYVDWNLJKRWIUYBKQJMN,NZMLWNQJMBZVYN,BWNBY,NLWHYNQYWVY,WRXBLYFZNJMWUTUWNNYN.
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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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 (5 solutions)
- “The hawthorn bush, with seats beneath the shade, For talking age and whispering lovers made.”— Oliver Goldsmith, 1770, The Deserted Village, Line 13 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=C B=N C=U D=H E=P F=Y G=J H=G I=O J=X K=L L=D M=R N=F O=Q P=Z Q=E R=A S=V T=S U=T V=I W=M X=K Y=W Z=B
- “Such dainties to them, their health it might hurt; It's like sending them ruffles when wanting a shirt.”— Oliver Goldsmith, 1776, The Haunch of Venison (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=E B=X C=J D=C E=P F=R G=K H=G I=M J=N K=V L=A M=Q N=L O=Y P=W Q=U R=D S=T T=O U=Z V=F W=B X=H Y=I Z=S
- “The genteel thing is the genteel thing any time, if as be that a gentleman bees in a concatenation accordingly.”— Oliver Goldsmith, 1773, She Stoops to Conquer, Act I (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=H B=O C=L D=S E=A F=P G=Z H=I I=F J=V K=R L=Q M=J N=D O=W P=C Q=U R=G S=E T=X U=B V=Y W=N X=T Y=M Z=K
- “One writer, for instance, excels at a plan or a title-page, another works away the body of the book, and a third is a dab at an index.”— Oliver Goldsmith, 1759, The Bee, No. 1, Oct. 6, 1759 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=N B=Y C=I D=G E=Z F=W G=V H=B I=M J=F K=L L=C M=T N=S O=J P=U Q=P R=K S=X T=R U=H V=O W=E X=A Y=D Z=Q
- “They would talk of nothing but high life, and high-lived company, with other fashionable topics, such as pictures, taste, Shakespeare, and the musical glasses.”— Oliver Goldsmith, 1765, The Hermit (Edwin and Angelina), Chap. IX (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=X B=T C=Y D=F E=V F=M G=Q H=K I=B J=I K=O L=H M=C N=S O=W P=Z Q=P R=N S=J T=G U=L V=R W=A X=D Y=E Z=U