Puzzle 1
Starter clue: C = E
ZCBCKVURSNZ;ZCTUKJBCKPIFUCBECB,KGVZCXIIQULSTPCPZBISJZPZCVCCVUIARCG.
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
- Y
- Z
Shakespeare Cryptograms Set 32
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 = I
QBAVQUYSDSEOWMSXIEFHWUAWNSHFY,QKFIOXKFHXSGHQAWUWHQGEDFPWPOSBQKAQFH.
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
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- T
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- X
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- Z
Puzzle 3
Starter clue: G = A
FJKCZMGUDSFEDVZWRFZMGS,GCSGVODGNMGVZDVGCZMDRFPQ,ZIESIRIPRMIJFLSDGCD.
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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- Y
- Z
Puzzle 4
Starter clue: A = N
BFGLCAFNNDGANARLFEURAJTFXMCAJ,BTFALFNJQNMRJTXCAKNJTFKRBAUCMMRBTGLK.
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: D = E
QECWZAEXKLDLQDBRWNDOA!CDFKALAHDWBZGLQDSWYM,EYDUKONESWLOERCOXXKRMEKA.
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 6
Starter clue: T = E
EATUT'JUGJTXKUV,EAKE'JLGUUTXTXPUKRBT;...KRIEATUTDJZKRJDTJ,EAKE'JLGUEAGQYAEJ.
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
- 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)
- “He reads much; He is a great observer, and he looks Quite through the deeds of men.”— William Shakespeare, 1599, Julius Caesar, Act I. Sc. 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=F B=R C=E D=Y E=V F=B G=N H=X I=O J=G K=A L=Q M=W N=C O=J P=T Q=K R=M S=U T=I U=S V=D W=P X=L Y=Z Z=H
- “If this were played upon a stage now, I could condemn it as an improbable fiction.”— William Shakespeare, 1601, Twelfth Night, Act III. Sc. 4 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=T B=F C=Z D=R E=P F=O G=M H=N I=U J=Q K=C L=X M=Y N=G O=L P=B Q=I R=V S=E T=J U=S V=H W=A X=D Y=W Z=K
- “I must have liberty Withal, as large a charter as the wind, To blow on whom I please.”— William Shakespeare, 1600, As You Like It, Act II. Sc. 7 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=K B=Z C=S D=E E=B F=I G=A H=J I=O J=M K=U L=P M=H N=C O=G P=N Q=D R=W S=L T=Q U=V V=R W=Y X=F Y=X Z=T
- “Weariness can snore upon the flint, when resty sloth finds the down pillow hard.”— William Shakespeare, 1610, Cymbeline, Act III. Sc. 6 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=N B=W C=I D=C E=U F=E G=A H=J I=Z J=T K=D L=R M=L N=S O=M P=B Q=Y R=O S=G T=H U=P V=K W=X X=F Y=Q Z=V
- “How absolute the knave is! we must speak by the card, or equivocation will undo us.”— William Shakespeare, 1601, Hamlet, Act V. Sc. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=S B=K C=W D=E E=O F=M G=Y H=P I=G J=Z K=U L=T M=D N=V O=I P=X Q=H R=N S=C T=F U=Q V=J W=A X=L Y=R Z=B
- “There's rosemary, that's for remembrance; . . . and there is pansies, that's for thoughts.”— William Shakespeare, 1601, Hamlet, Act IV. Sc. 5 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=H B=C C=K D=I E=T F=X G=O H=J I=D J=S K=A L=F M=W N=V O=Q P=B Q=U R=N S=L T=E U=R V=Y W=Z X=M Y=G Z=P