Puzzle 1
Starter clue: O = E
YFDWAI,JFQALYCDOA,WAHSFGOYI!VOWYDOBFYDCJWQIO,WAHXOIZSOALLVWLCFQDWCVOWY.
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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- X
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- Z
Shakespeare Cryptograms Set 33
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: B = E
MWHIIWBQHZBHDOEHSRWNIZTJJBVTEI;YLHSL,FBHVCDEQQBZBJ,ZHUBZDSMVVTIOEBVSL.
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 3
Starter clue: B = T
HOXGNLWQLQEGVX,FHFIONLWEHEMXL'BOXIXE,BOEBNLWZFROBXMXUQLGLBOFGRAWBBOEB.
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: X = A
ETAXQQAJHRXAHNLEAJHNTSPJNSVHWHXUXERXWJAJHDXQITYYYNTIXEXETLEAHVGLEP.
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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- O
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: V = T
DHFBTXLVHHJFIBZLPWLIVFWHQVBLGHZYM:VBLDYHPLUVVBTVMHOFDUVGUVBJFIBITZL.
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: G = T
RYLGUGFYNIZVOCLYGFKLIEYNPOVYG,HAGFZPPGFKALWNZVGAGUYRPYMK,DZJKNXDUIND.
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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- R
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- X
- Y
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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)
- “Romans, countrymen, and lovers! hear me for my cause, and be silent that you may hear.”— William Shakespeare, 1599, Julius Caesar, Act III. Sc. 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=N B=F C=Y D=M E=J F=O G=V H=D I=S J=C K=W L=T M=Z N=G O=E P=K Q=U R=P S=L T=Q U=X V=H W=A X=B Y=R Z=I
- “A little fire is quickly trodden out; Which, being suffered, rivers cannot quench.”— William Shakespeare, 1592, King Henry VI, Part III. Act IV. Sc. 8 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=J B=E C=G D=S E=U F=B G=P H=I I=T J=D K=X L=H M=A N=Y O=Q P=M Q=F R=K S=C T=O U=V V=N W=L X=Z Y=W Z=R
- “When you do dance, I wish you a wave o' the sea, that you might ever do nothing but that.”— William Shakespeare, 1611, The Winter's Tale, Act IV. Sc. 4 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=B B=T C=Q D=P E=A F=I G=N H=W I=S J=F K=L L=O M=V N=Y O=H P=Z Q=D R=G S=J T=K U=R V=C W=U X=E Y=X Z=M
- “Not all the water in the rough rude sea can wash the balm off from an anointed king.”— William Shakespeare, 1595, King Richard II, Act III. Sc. 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=T B=Y C=Z D=B E=N F=J G=K H=E I=M J=H K=P L=I M=X N=R O=V P=G Q=L R=W S=U T=O U=C V=D W=S X=A Y=F Z=Q
- “You have too much respect upon the world: They lose it that do buy it with much care.”— William Shakespeare, 1597, The Merchant of Venice, Act I. Sc. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=F B=H C=Q D=Y E=G F=U G=W H=O I=C J=M K=J L=E M=D N=X O=B P=S Q=N R=Z S=K T=A U=I V=T W=P X=V Y=L Z=R
- “Forty thousand brothers could not, with all their quantity of love, Make up my sum.”— William Shakespeare, 1601, Hamlet, Act V. Sc. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=I B=G C=B D=M E=C F=H G=T H=W I=S J=K K=E L=R M=V N=U O=D P=L Q=J R=F S=Z T=X U=Y V=N W=Q X=P Y=O Z=A