Puzzle 1
Starter clue: W = O
UHULSUFPMSITWZAWOVWHHUPC,FWPNWKGIMPWSFVWCIWKXDFCDNPWNMGFKCNSHO.
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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Samuel Johnson Cryptograms Set 5
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: D = E
VDFDCQQVDWPXDPQRVGOVQVDRUJFEZJDRTPFD,QUTUGWQPXUJPF,UJPEUJWPQPFD.
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: P = E
UAWIFCOPWZIUFBPFCBRSSRLHJGPIIPOOPSPSGPOPZIAWLUAWIFCIOWLCBOFGPZ.
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: A = O
YPNCVCFKSVRNHPFVCAHYPSNCIFECVJNCVAG;ZAFKAGACHVGKVCNOAGYYPARRBSABES.
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 5
Starter clue: B = L
MBSSZYJSWMA,AIEAIVFISKSVNWSAXMWKIMNQVBBOFMBBIEUKBOXMWKEWOAIMWTVBNV.
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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- T
- U
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- W
- X
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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)
- “I live in the crowd of jollity, not so much to enjoy company as to shun myself.”— Samuel Johnson, 1759, Rasselas, Chap. XVI (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=D B=G C=Y D=A E=X F=N G=U H=L I=C J=Q K=M L=V M=H N=S O=F P=T Q=B R=Z S=E T=R U=I V=J W=O X=P Y=K Z=W
- “He left the name at which the world grew pale, To point a moral, or adorn a tale.”— Samuel Johnson, 1749, The Vanity of Human Wishes, Line 221 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=X B=Z C=F D=E E=D F=L G=I H=U I=V J=R K=J L=K M=Y N=S O=C P=A Q=T R=W S=Q T=P U=O V=H W=N X=M Y=B Z=G
- “What is read twice is commonly better remembered than what is transcribed.”— Samuel Johnson, 1760, The Idler, No. 74 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=H B=C C=S D=X E=U F=I G=B H=L I=T J=Y K=V L=N M=K N=Z O=R P=E Q=J R=O S=M T=P U=W V=G W=A X=Q Y=F Z=D
- “Gratitude is a fruit of great cultivation; you do not find it among gross people.”— Samuel Johnson, 1773, Tour to the Hebrides. Sept. 20, 1773 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=O B=P C=T D=W E=L F=U G=N H=F I=C J=V K=D L=Q M=H N=A O=M P=R Q=B R=S S=E T=X U=K V=I W=J X=Z Y=G Z=Y
- “I look upon it, that he who does not mind his belly will hardly mind anything else.”— Samuel Johnson, 1791, Boswell, Life of Johnson, Life of Johnson (Boswell). Vol. II. Chap. IX (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=T B=L C=F D=V E=A F=W G=C H=Z I=H J=P K=D L=J M=I N=S O=Y P=X Q=B R=Q S=O T=G U=R V=E W=N X=M Y=U Z=K