Puzzle 1
Starter clue: U = A
PNONGZGMUQTOJPDUMPGYPUTF,BJPGHBLOPNOGEEUJBGZ;UZXUHUBZPGAGXOMUPO,UZXDUJJPGJGAOKNUPOTJO;YGMPNOZUAUZTOUXJPNOXUZEO.
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
Perseverance Cryptograms Set 26
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: D = E
RQDNLDW-PWNUAXGMNZPXRXDFBGARQDAWBXGXGMNZPNYGRWIAXFRWXPRFBWDYGQDBORQIBGADLDGABGMDWNYFFICHRNCFXGNYWCNADWGOXZD.
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: N = A
MLNQJCJTNQJWINIKNHNEUHUIQPQLVMMSUCWLPVXLUHNTRNPZUTWIQUHXSNQUQBUXWXVSNQJWI,ZUNSQB,NIKHWLNSPQLUIMQBWCWVLTWVIQLR.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
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- R
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- U
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- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 4
Starter clue: V = T
JVJZVNHZHYSHVQPVNHUQSMTVNBVBMMVNJEOZZDWZJZVBETTQEQVTJHWDVQEMISHVJSHBMJVVMHPSQGZJONVBETBPVHSUBSTZSHVDSEBOBJE.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
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- U
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: R = E
CRLWRRAORSORESWVXOSBRCWRQURW,BXJWRWFLSBRKXJLSOG,WRE-WBXORW,ELNCXJLSEFLW;ELNSBXJSXXEOSDXLSSXNRWFORWJKBSBFLMWUROGCJKB.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
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- R
- S
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- U
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- X
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Puzzle 6
Starter clue: B = T
RQRSCCVQTBSOORZCOZMQZTOQBBZTKUEYTQWVBDJXLNQBCZTBEQWVBDYQOOC;STURQZCMFZBBQFZTKSYSDRZCSKQZTBFDZTKBEUFSYBRQWXVSKSZT.
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 honorablest part of talk, is to give the occasion; and again to moderate, and pass to somewhat else; for then a man leads the dance.”— Francis Bacon, 1625, The Essays or Counsels, Civil and MoralCipher key: A=M B=I C=X D=P E=C F=K G=O H=G I=Q J=S K=W L=V M=R N=H O=E P=T Q=B R=Z S=Y T=L U=A V=J W=U X=D Y=F Z=N
- “The over-crowding of cities and the draining of country districts are unhealthy and even dangerous symptoms in our modern life.”— Theodore Roosevelt, 1904, Fourth Annual Message to CongressCipher key: A=D B=A C=M D=E E=Z F=S G=N H=P I=Y J=Q K=B L=V M=G N=O O=L P=C Q=H R=T S=K T=J U=W V=X W=R X=I Y=U Z=F
- “Gratification and amazement struggle for supremacy as we contemplate the population, wealth, and moral strength of our country.”— Benjamin Harrison, 1891, Third Annual Message to CongressCipher key: A=B B=H C=F D=X E=Z F=V G=J H=M I=N J=I K=D L=R M=G N=A O=K P=S Q=T R=Y S=L T=C U=E V=U W=O X=P Y=Q Z=W
- “It is the secret of the world that all things subsist and do not die but only retire a little from sight and afterwards return again.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844, Essays: Second SeriesCipher key: A=J B=A C=X D=U E=N F=P G=M H=E I=Y J=I K=Q L=Z M=L N=H O=G P=F Q=O R=K S=R T=D U=W V=T W=B X=V Y=C Z=S
- “Men seek retreats for themselves, houses in the country, sea-shores, and mountains; and thou too art wont to desire such things very much.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=K B=H C=M D=W E=A F=I G=Y H=Q I=P J=U K=C L=N M=G N=D O=R P=B Q=L R=E S=T T=Z U=V V=F W=S X=O Y=X Z=J
- “He has spent all his life in letting down empty buckets into empty wells; and he is frittering away his age in trying to draw them up again.”— Sydney Smith, 1855, Lady Holland's Memoir of the Reverend Sydney Smith, Vol. I. p. 259 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Z B=T C=S D=Y E=O F=R G=V H=J I=Q J=B K=G L=C M=F N=K O=L P=X Q=E R=H S=A T=N U=D V=P W=M X=U Y=W Z=I