Puzzle 1
Starter clue: W = I
FGRMPPLYANMZRMPBWNXGNWRWGFWNVWNBGCYUJZWALB.
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
Plautus Cryptograms Set 1
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: X = N
ZYCKMXFYHFUXFYIZXLYIKYYITUKJTXCKMSEMYXFCQUFKRZXLFXPGNTHYIKXV.
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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- W
- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 3
Starter clue: D = E
KUVXDYUDXCUOXDKPZCQQSKUBCPVYUD,IXKJDXDPXYIPVXDEQDCOKUVXDYVXDQ.
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 4
Starter clue: M = H
VMQYXGBMQEMFCNJCYCVMCIAMOIIAYLCWAKWAZNAYVTFVMOYVMQYXGBMQEMFCNJCMCIA.
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: P = E
SIUGJWPDNVPKJNNKPZIFGP,VILGHOHSJIFGHUHUJZHKJNJGLVJSVUPQPDPUNDFGNGJNGKJBPNIIUPVIKPIUKR.
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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- X
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Puzzle 6
Starter clue: B = T
BJZUZBJFTNUKGZTRBYRGBJZWZUB,TRGKUFBJFTVBJZDRXNJBBRWZ;WXBUBFSSBJZDKGZWZBBZGBJKTBJKBOJFAJFUMROTGFNJBWKM.
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)
- “Not by years but by disposition is wisdom acquired.”— Plautus, 194 BC, Trinummus, Act II. Sc. 2, 88. (367) (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=R B=D C=M D=G E=F F=N G=O H=X I=K J=Q K=H L=E M=B N=S O=L P=Y Q=V R=T S=Z T=J U=C V=W W=I X=P Y=A Z=U
- “It was not for nothing that the raven was just now croaking on my left hand.”— Plautus, 195 BC, Aulularia, Act IV. Sc. 3, 1. (624) (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=B B=X C=W D=P E=U F=O G=Y H=F I=H J=V K=A L=G M=S N=L O=Q P=M Q=C R=K S=J T=E U=R V=D W=Z X=N Y=T Z=I
- “In the one hand he is carrying a stone, while he shows the bread in the other.”— Plautus, 195 BC, Aulularia, Act II. Sc. 2, 18. (195) (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=U B=G C=A D=E E=B F=X G=Z H=K I=W J=L K=I L=F M=Q N=P O=D P=S Q=R R=J S=Y T=M U=N V=T W=V X=H Y=O Z=C
- “Things which you do not hope happen more frequently than things which you do hope.”— Plautus, 195 BC, Mostellaria, Act I. Sc. 3, 40. (197) (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=E B=W C=O D=K E=C F=Y G=S H=V I=P J=D K=F L=M M=H N=U O=A P=B Q=I R=X S=Z T=L U=J V=T W=R X=G Y=N Z=Q
- “Consider the little mouse, how sagacious an animal it is which never entrusts its life to one hole only.”— Plautus, 189 BC, Truculentus, Act IV. Sc. 4, 15. (868) (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=B B=F C=P D=R E=Q F=U G=S H=A I=O J=I K=L L=W M=K N=T O=G P=E Q=V R=Y S=C T=J U=N V=H W=D X=Z Y=X Z=M
- “These things are not for the best, nor as I think they ought to be; but still they are better than that which is downright bad.”— Plautus, 194 BC, Trinummus, Act II. Sc. 2, 111. (392) (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=C B=T C=P D=Y E=M F=I G=R H=J I=X J=H K=A L=Q M=D N=G O=W P=V Q=Z R=O S=L T=N U=S V=K W=B X=U Y=F Z=E