Puzzle 1
Starter clue: D = T
DZBTAVSSBJOGVEBSFQSBDDFTAVSSBJVGODGDVWIG;RBGZUAJIUWJFGQUOJODLFDSFOWMDUBYQJVOWOD.
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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Richard Brinsley Sheridan Cryptograms Set 2
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: B = E
MBMJZZQWDRQDJNJARDBDTBARUD;UWKJQH,GWEQCABWAZB,-WEIIBDIWUABNDJWQMJZZXBRZZDWDTBPEDEIB.
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 3
Starter clue: R = E
MPMNRDNRVRAHWAQOVMAEMAOVMKFUNGH,MOMKOVRIKRUPTQUNWYIGWNOUAEIR,WAHWAMYRHRNWAERTRAOUPRDMOWDVK!
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: D = O
DQEJATGNKDENJEGFGEICDDLBWALDMMDOBN;UQKKXGIJEGKXGOJNKVGDVOGWNXDQOLTXDDNGKDXJFGJFWNWKWACJTPQJWAKJATGSWKX.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
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- M
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: F = E
AIFMFUXJOJFQX!XVQ,AIFGOQFAIFBNXAWVYYOMNLX,YVSFMAVNLX,ORNBVMORYF,VMZFQMOY-MNAAIOAVFWFQQFOHAIFB!MN,VBOPFVAOQLYFMFWFQANYNNPVMANOMFUXJOJFQ.
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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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 quarrel is a very pretty quarrel as it stands; we should only spoil it by trying to explain it.”— Richard Brinsley Sheridan, 1775, The Rivals, Act IV. Sc. 3 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=U B=E C=F D=T E=V F=Y G=S H=Z I=D J=L K=M L=B M=G N=K O=I P=J Q=P R=W S=R T=Q U=O V=A W=N X=C Y=X Z=H
- “We will not anticipate the past; so mind, young people, - our retrospection will be all to the future.”— Richard Brinsley Sheridan, 1775, The Rivals, Act IV. Sc. 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=P B=E C=G D=T E=U F=J G=Y H=D I=R J=I K=M L=K M=W N=C O=V P=F Q=N R=A S=Z T=H U=S V=Q W=O X=B Y=X Z=L
- “If I reprehend anything in this world, it is the use of my oracular tongue, and a nice derangement of epitaphs!”— Richard Brinsley Sheridan, 1775, The Rivals, Act III. Sc. 3 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=N B=V C=J D=P E=G F=W G=L H=D I=U J=Z K=S L=K M=I N=R O=T P=F Q=Y R=E S=X T=M U=O V=H W=A X=Q Y=C Z=B
- “Our ancestors are very good kind of folks; but they are the last people I should choose to have a visiting acquaintance with.”— Richard Brinsley Sheridan, 1775, The Rivals, Act IV. Sc. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=N B=K C=G D=O E=R F=V G=E H=X I=Y J=A K=T L=D M=F N=S O=L P=Q Q=U R=Z S=W T=C U=B V=P W=I X=H Y=J Z=M
- “The newspapers! Sir, they are the most villanous, licentious, abominable, infernal - Not that I ever read them! No, I make it a rule never to look into a newspaper.”— Richard Brinsley Sheridan, 1779, The Critic, Act I. Sc. 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=T B=M C=G D=Q E=J F=E G=Y H=D I=H J=P K=Z L=U M=N N=O O=A P=K Q=R R=B S=C T=X U=W V=I W=V X=S Y=L Z=F