Puzzle 1
Starter clue: O = E
HANJSKFYVQYZO,SCJKPPOG'JGNTORNRESGOXHA,PXCTGYZOXSOXKHOYKJVQYIOGIAORRODHIOPOOH.
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 40
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: L = R
AUTGUTLXZMTJRLCXLT,XZTJLGURLJXL,GUTTDGLJSJOJZGJZYTLLXZOMFXLXGUXTMGRUXMIRZCXZT.
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: O = E
JFTUOOPQYPJFDZOYJWSFUPUFCOHOMXJHOYUFJ,ZMAOUTOOPDOZZULYJXZOW,FBPFKPBJOYJWQYHUQ.
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: A = T
KAHYTYCHYLLUAAGUAQKFZSISNQUEVCKTGEYAKSE,KIAGULGYMUYVSSXAGKEVASBYZUKAASSFSBBSE.
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 = T
OEDMC'MKLRMKDLVCAJVDMVWCXDDOLRNXVHCXOCXDOLMVC,WDTDLVWCXDCRWYQDRNXVHCXOCHOZDMVC.
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: I = E
YPVIJHJMXSKSEZYIZEBPMIBBZSEMK,PBXJMKPMFJEBICOINIPBOJYYRPNBXZILPM,JMKZSXOMILYIGX.
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)
- “This bud of love, by summer's ripening breath, May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet.”— William Shakespeare, 1595, Romeo and Juliet, Act II. Sc. 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=H B=K C=Y D=X E=G F=D G=R H=T I=W J=S K=U L=Z M=C N=I O=E P=M Q=L R=N S=B T=P U=J V=F W=Q X=A Y=O Z=V
- “Whether in sea or fire, in earth or air, The extravagant and erring spirit hies to his confine.”— William Shakespeare, 1601, Hamlet, Act I. Sc. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=W B=Q C=F D=X E=M F=P G=T H=B I=C J=A K=J L=R M=S N=Z O=G P=Y Q=L R=O S=V T=E U=H V=U W=K X=I Y=D Z=N
- “Now see that noble and most sovereign reason, Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh.”— William Shakespeare, 1601, Hamlet, Act III. Sc. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=K B=U C=V D=B E=Y F=O G=X H=R I=P J=N K=F L=J M=I N=Q O=E P=T Q=H R=Z S=M T=W U=S V=C W=D X=G Y=A Z=L
- “It was alway yet the trick of our English nation, if they have a good thing to make it too common.”— William Shakespeare, 1598, King Henry IV, Part II, Act I. Sc. 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=T B=M C=L D=B E=N F=C G=H H=W I=F J=P K=I L=Y M=V N=U O=Z P=X Q=R R=J S=O T=S U=E V=G W=Q X=D Y=A Z=K
- “A jest's prosperity lies in the ear of him that hears it, never in the tongue of him that makes it.”— William Shakespeare, 1597, Love's Labour's Lost, Act V. Sc. 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Y B=X C=T D=E E=J F=W G=C H=M I=D J=L K=P L=R M=S N=F O=A P=Q Q=U R=O S=Z T=V U=B V=I W=N X=H Y=G Z=K
- “Like a man to double business bound, I stand in pause where I shall first begin, And both neglect.”— William Shakespeare, 1601, Hamlet, Act III. Sc. 3 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=V B=S C=W D=Y E=U F=P G=C H=M I=E J=A K=D L=G M=N N=R O=H P=I Q=J R=F S=O T=Z U=X V=K W=Q X=T Y=L Z=B