Puzzle 1
Starter clue: D = I
DWEABMLHIAATDHJAJQKVKKXVAWJDNK,LHXVLESQDMQZYLDHSDIIZYASLHXSQDMQSDIIHAJ.
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
Shakespeare Cryptograms Set 36
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 = R
BDNWWKULVSXATLRRVRDZLYJDVLB,VDB,DUYCKKBWKPVL;YVXKPBCLYBRDUXKPBIKPRKXVSLB.
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
Puzzle 3
Starter clue: C = E
DEVCACCQHWBHIEKDWBJCPCVMYNLFEJ'HCMC,EJLIWCVCDEVCNYLUCH,HNCCQIBNNJCPCVNBC.
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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- U
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- X
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- Z
Puzzle 4
Starter clue: O = E
UNOVOFCTOXWUUNVOOEWWHSOXIXNJXEOHCXOXEFJXH;JXHWXOWAUNOSCMAJUJXHEVWZMWFH.
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: A = E
UMVAOEASMEBYEAOP,UMVAOLIWAQAYEAOPBAUU,OBHUMVAIOQAYEAOPBAUUPIEKUPKTMBPIAV.
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: G = E
RQSZWBDBMGLZVUOMLGDPGEQWGOJGMWBGZOJD;OJGKZNMZVOVGKGWOZDOGQEBGZOJPAOQVRG.
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)
- “If you can look into the seeds of time, And say which grain will grow and which will not.”— William Shakespeare, 1606, Macbeth, Act I. Sc. 3 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=O B=U C=Z D=I E=Y F=P G=Q H=N I=L J=T K=E L=A M=C N=M O=J P=B Q=H R=X S=W T=K U=V V=S W=F X=D Y=R Z=G
- “Rich honesty dwells like a miser, sir, in a poor house; as your pearl in your foul oyster.”— William Shakespeare, 1600, As You Like It, Act V. Sc. 4 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=D B=R C=P D=I E=V F=Z G=Q H=G I=F J=M K=O L=E M=B N=C O=X P=U Q=J R=L S=T T=W U=N V=S W=H X=Y Y=A Z=K
- “Care keeps his watch in every old man's eye, And where care lodges, sleep will never lie.”— William Shakespeare, 1595, Romeo and Juliet, Act II. Sc. 3 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=K B=I C=E D=C E=A F=M G=F H=S I=W J=N K=T L=D M=Y N=L O=X P=V Q=P R=Q S=Z T=B U=G V=R W=H X=U Y=O Z=J
- “There live not three good men unhanged in England; and one of them is fat and grows old.”— William Shakespeare, 1597, King Henry IV, Part I, Act II. Sc. 4 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=F B=Q C=I D=Z E=G F=L G=X H=D I=U J=A K=J L=Y M=S N=H O=E P=C Q=B R=K S=M T=V U=T V=R W=O X=N Y=P Z=W
- “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.”— William Shakespeare, 1601, Twelfth NightCipher key: A=E B=N C=Y D=J E=R F=K G=W H=D I=H J=X K=U L=C M=O N=Q O=A P=T Q=V R=Z S=B T=P U=S V=M W=I X=F Y=G Z=L
- “Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once.”— William Shakespeare, 1599, Julius CaesarCipher key: A=U B=D C=G D=S E=F F=J G=E H=Q I=Z J=H K=V L=M M=I N=L O=T P=B Q=O R=C S=W T=P U=Y V=N W=R X=K Y=X Z=A