Puzzle 1
Starter clue: O = E
BQRGOKH'XGOOQKXG:QUMTKPCGOKTQHKQUMJUYPBBJXOMTBOIGCQRNHPBOXIIYKHUZ!
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
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- X
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- Z
Shakespeare Cryptograms Set 30
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: G = E
SYTGWTGTSGTAGLWKGILZJHMBSGTAGLWKGWAAVYWHXGWLGLGVYGQGS,ZLHZKWKWVV.
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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- U
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- Y
- Z
Puzzle 3
Starter clue: I = E
OEICBMQ-QMAJDEMQDOEIJUONROMFIRIUA,URL'CNRDOMGUBIENDKRIVVIPOKUBVNAI.
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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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: D = T
EK,NZYCPWXMEKPDEENZKSZFOOHCPWEZDN,XDQSTDEUKOZFCDZPSPEDUKOZFITDKEDN.
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 5
Starter clue: C = S
JSZWZQCVDHQLZCDCQAGKZXEJRCCEAZCCDAZARWYDNHQWJEZQVSQCDEJMRWUGRWJC.
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 6
Starter clue: K = E
AOKXOLXQLAKJKYELBYLCSCKJKYGYWIS,OLSXWCHIKLXQBVV,LCSTKXQLACKJKYVWIS.
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)
- “Lay her i' the earth: And from her fair and unpolluted flesh may violets spring!”— William Shakespeare, 1601, Hamlet, Act V. Sc. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Q B=L C=M D=X E=B F=Z G=H H=I I=S J=U K=R L=W M=D N=V O=E P=O Q=A R=Y S=C T=F U=N V=J W=K X=T Y=P Z=G
- “Diseases desperate grown by desperate appliance are relieved, Or not at all.”— William Shakespeare, 1601, Hamlet, Act IV. Sc. 3 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=P B=Y C=Q D=J E=K F=X G=E H=N I=G J=W K=T L=R M=B N=U O=H P=Z Q=V R=F S=D T=S U=M V=L W=A X=C Y=I Z=O
- “The glow-worm shows the matin to be near, And 'gins to pale his uneffectual fire.”— William Shakespeare, 1601, Hamlet, Act I. Sc. 5 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=R B=L C=G D=S E=H F=B G=P H=X I=E J=M K=U L=D M=O N=I O=T P=C Q=W R=N S=J T=Y U=A V=F W=Z X=K Y=Q Z=V
- “Or, having sworn too hard a keeping oath, Study to break it and not break my troth.”— William Shakespeare, 1597, Love's Labour's Lost, Act I. Sc. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Q B=C C=I D=T E=O F=K G=X H=P I=M J=L K=R L=J M=W N=H O=E P=N Q=U R=F S=D T=Y U=B V=Z W=G X=S Y=V Z=A
- “There is no vice so simple but assumes some mark of virtue in his outward parts.”— William Shakespeare, 1597, The Merchant of Venice, Act III. Sc. 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=M B=X C=S D=O E=U F=Q G=P H=V I=J J=T K=L L=C M=W N=F O=Z P=Y Q=I R=A S=H T=G U=D V=N W=R X=B Y=K Z=E
- “She that was ever fair and never proud, Had tongue at will, and yet was never loud.”— William Shakespeare, 1604, Othello, Act II. Sc. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=S B=I C=N D=M E=F F=K G=P H=G I=U J=V K=E L=A M=Z N=J O=H P=C Q=W R=X S=D T=Y U=Q V=L W=O X=T Y=R Z=B