Puzzle 1
Starter clue: W = E
UOTWYWKOLMWYWBTBVWGWVTAWBTQTKCTXMGDGLMWSKLXE,WYWBCSOWMZWLPMQOWQKXQO,RLCBMBTGWNCWS.
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
Phaedrus Cryptograms Set 2
4 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: I = E
PEFIYLJBLUIQNCIMNGYICIUNCF.DILJPKYJNYNGDAPFRLCGXLBYPRICKBFXNFRPAICLJPRBRRBPALNJPKRIDQ.
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 = T
SXDRBZZDCQX[DRJWCTMOEDRJQMYJO]BDBZZRCVORCVAIGRBOLJOIBDXMYMBUZ,MOERCVVBZECABZMUVMXZMOCYJQAMDGRWCQZDQJOLDR.
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: K = A
KNDPIYKSIJKUSIZKADPG,UVIOSILMDGYROGVKOMPZLGDKIU,KIOYRVGVJKUSIYRVGVLSDIYRVRSLRVUYVFEVXYKYSDI.KMYVGKZZ,SYAGDPLRYMDGYRKNDPUV.
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 (4 solutions)
- “Whoever has even once become notorious by base fraud, even if he speaks the truth, gains no belief.”— Phaedrus, 25, Fables, Book I. Fable 10, 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=M B=N C=I D=Y E=D F=X G=B H=Z I=J J=Q K=R L=A M=S N=L O=H P=K Q=T R=G S=F T=O U=W V=C W=E X=U Y=V Z=P
- “I knew that before you were born. Let him who would instruct a wiser man consider this as said to himself.”— Phaedrus, 25, Fables, Book V. Fable 9, 4 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=D B=A C=R D=L E=K F=N G=U H=Q I=E J=H K=M L=T M=Y N=O O=X P=I Q=F R=S S=V T=P U=B V=J W=Z X=C Y=W Z=G
- “By this story [The Fox and the Raven] it is shown how much ingenuity avails, and how wisdom is always an overmatch for strength.”— Phaedrus, 25, Fables, Book I. Fable 13, 13 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=M B=I C=O D=T E=D F=Q G=C H=Z I=U J=E K=J L=G M=A N=P O=N P=K Q=R R=H S=B T=X U=L V=W W=F X=Y Y=V Z=S
- “A mountain was in labour, sending forth dreadful groans, and there was in the region the highest expectation. After all, it brought forth a mouse.”— Phaedrus, 25, Fables, Book IV. Fable 23, 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=B B=V C=Y D=O E=P F=X G=R H=J I=N J=W K=A L=G M=F N=M O=D P=U Q=K R=H S=I T=Q U=S V=E W=Z X=C Y=T Z=L