Puzzle 1
Starter clue: V = E
OTG,MVFBCVBZMTFXVNTXFNPBDMVG'OMYAOV,BXCDMVEGTZLOBGVBRTKVBDDMTOCBNDYDVODTPNTD.
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 39
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: T = E
DSTYXLZYTTZ,QZYRULXCGHT,QZFQYQGHT,CYCZDYTDZCPCZ'YICRT,DUCBTCXOTURDRADZCYXTTMHT.
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
Puzzle 3
Starter clue: Y = E
IMAADDTDSBLMFYZDZIYBYGYBEYBMZYICAAP,MLNFMVYZIYEMEEACLJJDPPCWDUZIYMCBQBTDSZ.
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
Puzzle 4
Starter clue: V = E
NKWMVSDXUVSFPZFWWMVZWMVAVWWVLXZTRVL,SFPDXSTXSWMVSXLVZFWWMVDVZSFPWFFUWMVDKFL.
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
Puzzle 5
Starter clue: B = T
BQEAXGWDITBQGLCCDAXPBQBQGBPVG,IRFBQGAWPNPBACLBQGXPAGAPBPRBQGHDCEFAIRFVCHOEA.
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
Puzzle 6
Starter clue: O = E
JPGOOGOBUCRFMQPFOORB,KIMWOVMQUGHPXO;MRZOORXQCRF'NXOFNIBO,KIMBONOBGOMQUSIYJCOFM.
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)
- “Sir, he made a chimney in my father's house, and the bricks are alive at this day to testify it.”— William Shakespeare, 1592, King Henry VI, Part II. Act IV. Sc. 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=U B=A C=D D=T E=B F=M G=R H=X I=J J=G K=V L=K M=H N=Y O=S P=F Q=W R=L S=P T=I U=Z V=E W=Q X=N Y=O Z=C
- “O jest unseen, inscrutable, invisible, As a nose on a man's face, or a weathercock on a steeple.”— William Shakespeare, 1591, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act II. Sc. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=K B=W C=A D=O E=Y F=V G=B H=L I=F J=X K=Z L=U M=P N=Q O=H P=M Q=I R=C S=J T=E U=R V=G W=D X=T Y=S Z=N
- “Halloo your name to the reverberate hills, And make the babbling gossip of the air Cry out.”— William Shakespeare, 1601, Twelfth Night, Act I. Sc. 5 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=L B=R C=I D=O E=B F=M G=V H=X I=H J=G K=J L=N M=A N=D O=W P=S Q=C R=Q S=U T=Y U=F V=K W=P X=Z Y=E Z=T
- “If they make you not then the better answer, you may say they are not the men you took them for.”— William Shakespeare, 1599, Much Ado about Nothing, Act III. Sc. 3 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=B B=Q C=D D=M E=Z F=O G=C H=X I=G J=V K=F L=R M=H N=I O=L P=U Q=P R=W S=Y T=S U=K V=E W=T X=A Y=J Z=N
- “Thus we play the fools with the time, and the spirits of the wise sit in the clouds and mock us.”— William Shakespeare, 1598, King Henry IV, Part II, Act II. Sc. 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=S B=T C=O D=L E=U F=D G=E H=C I=A J=V K=Z L=F M=Q N=R O=K P=I Q=H R=N S=J T=Y U=B V=M W=P X=W Y=G Z=X
- “Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice; take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment.”— William Shakespeare, 1600, HamletCipher key: A=Q B=R C=M D=L E=X F=N G=V H=O I=U J=G K=B L=P M=T N=S O=E P=I Q=H R=A S=J T=Z U=Y V=W W=F X=C Y=D Z=K