Puzzle 1
Starter clue: R = O
EOZQHRGBENUBQNBRLRABEOPNLLRFU?PZQIHRGENUZCURVGBO"UEZVV"?
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
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- M
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Shakespeare Cryptograms Set 18
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: Q = E
IQU'WQDTOIGUUQVWOTDQTUAVGWW;KFQTVDTVKYQWBQBVTKQTUBGKQV.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
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Puzzle 3
Starter clue: K = E
NZKBK'GZVOKDIBKDNCDQ'GCKCVBECDEVMNWHYKZHGWHAKZDWADEKDB.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: S = E
PKSNFCV'JPKSPKGBZAKSDSGBG'FFMCPMKPKSMQBJMGSBMSQRPKSYGBZ.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: N = T
FXAZSNSZUEQFNNEFZAEOMUI,DBNNTMGXBOMNTXNQFNFOFZSNTMKAMZ.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
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Puzzle 6
Starter clue: T = A
STHHFGBAOTALTSQEPWGDFGBKDKEMPYU?TCHTWBMBCGPUBSOLTSQEPW!
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
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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 (6 solutions)
- “Hear you this Triton of the minnows? Mark you his absolute "shall"?”— William Shakespeare, 1608, Coriolanus, Act III. Sc. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=F B=T C=B D=J E=H F=W G=U H=Y I=K J=G K=P L=N M=Q N=I O=E P=M Q=R R=O S=X T=V U=S V=L W=Z X=C Y=D Z=A
- “Men's evil manners live in brass; their virtues we write in water.”— William Shakespeare, 1592, King Henry VI, II. Act IV. Sc. 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=B B=W C=F D=V E=Y F=H G=A H=D I=M J=C K=T L=P M=O N=Z O=L P=K Q=E R=X S=Q T=I U=N V=R W=S X=G Y=U Z=J
- “There's hope a great man's memory may outlive his life half a year.”— William Shakespeare, 1601, Hamlet, Act III. Sc. 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=F B=R C=M D=A E=Y F=B G=S H=I I=G J=K K=E L=X M=U N=T O=P P=C Q=N R=J S=D T=Q U=W V=O W=L X=Z Y=V Z=H
- “The play's the thing Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king.”— William Shakespeare, 1601, Hamlet, Act II. Sc. 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=W B=N C=A D=R E=V F=L G=I H=Z I=B J=S K=H L=U M=C N=P O=Q P=T Q=O R=F S=E T=M U=X V=Y W=D X=J Y=K Z=G
- “I am not only witty in myself, but the cause that wit is in other men.”— William Shakespeare, 1598, King Henry IV, Part II, Act I. Sc. 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=M B=U C=X D=B E=Y F=I G=C H=K I=F J=Q K=R L=P M=E N=T O=S P=Z Q=W R=V S=O T=H U=L V=D W=G X=A Y=J Z=N
- “Call you that backing of your friends? A plague upon such backing!”— William Shakespeare, 1597, King Henry IV, Part I, Act II. Sc. 4 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=T B=U C=P D=F E=I F=Y G=O H=L I=X J=Q K=R L=B M=E N=Z O=H P=N Q=K R=V S=C T=A U=S V=W W=G X=J Y=D Z=M