Puzzle 1
Starter clue: Q = E
YVQWVQTNHQNZ,VQTNKGTZZGQYESNQZVKWKLKW;KWJYVQWVQTNYESNZ,VQTNGTZZGQHQZZQSZVKWKHQKNZ.
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 41
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: J = E
HGQBXWHNHGQJQJKJWPGNQBX,QBXTPOWFLJJTBCJNJFCHEFPBGHFQBXCWJJRLFWHGDBCFXGJLKJDBCJQBX.
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: B = S
SQXOGGFSQHSSGQTDIGZTBHBCJBPTGJBHBCGPJBSB,BQHCCAXSGQTDBQGESCLHBATSSXEHBPGCGWJTISTFH.
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
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- U
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- Z
Puzzle 4
Starter clue: K = E
CJKNKDDJZSNXFIFUK,EFBMJDZNSKHFXSJWDWHFDKIAWPGCKN.SKIFXIWDNNWXYKFUYCFJDFDANWNSKYPBYWXK.
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 5
Starter clue: L = E
AGJFAWMLNIPNEWMUA,AWJREMANIPKLQ:PGLMLNLRWQU-MWPAWQUDWPLM-MWPA,DWPLM-PGJLYLAWQURWQU-PGJLYLA.
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
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- U
- V
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- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 6
Starter clue: W = E
AGYQYCOTWZKAGYKKYWTEOXZPEIIWKWLFW.OXWKW'CZPZECA;ETGYJPBEHWAGYCGQWHEGJWOC,VYOOXWATEOXWKWP.
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)
- “When he is best, he is a little worse than a man; and when he is worst, he is little better than a beast.”— William Shakespeare, 1597, The Merchant of Venice, Act I. Sc. 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Z B=K C=P D=U E=O F=X G=L H=B I=Q J=D K=A L=M M=J N=S O=G P=C Q=E R=F S=R T=I U=Y V=H W=N X=V Y=W Z=T
- “An you had any eye behind you, you might see more detraction at your heels than fortunes before you.”— William Shakespeare, 1601, Twelfth Night, Act II. Sc. 5 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=P B=O C=R D=F E=C F=T G=N H=A I=W J=E K=B L=S M=Q N=D O=G P=I Q=Y R=L S=X T=M U=K V=Z W=H X=U Y=J Z=V
- “The food that to him now is as luscious as locusts, shall be to him shortly as bitter as coloquintida.”— William Shakespeare, 1604, Othello, Act I. Sc. 3 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=B B=S C=L D=M E=R F=D G=O H=A I=N J=U K=P L=Y M=Z N=V O=F P=C Q=H R=K S=T T=I U=J V=X W=Q X=E Y=G Z=W
- “Lie ten nights awake, carving the fashion of a new doublet. He was wont to speak plain and to the purpose.”— William Shakespeare, 1599, Much Ado about Nothing, Act II. Sc. 3 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=D B=R C=L D=N E=C F=A G=B H=F I=W J=I K=E L=M M=V N=T O=Q P=U Q=Z R=J S=H T=X U=K V=Y W=O X=S Y=P Z=G
- “Ships are but boards, sailors but men: there be land-rats and water-rats, water-thieves and land-thieves.”— William Shakespeare, 1597, The Merchant of Venice, Act I. Sc. 3 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=S B=F C=J D=W E=O F=P G=H H=Y I=U J=I K=M L=E M=R N=B O=G P=T Q=N R=L S=X T=Z U=D V=C W=A X=Q Y=V Z=K
- “You must wear your rue with a difference. There's a daisy; I would give you some violets, but they withered.”— William Shakespeare, 1601, Hamlet, Act IV. Sc. 5 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Y B=G C=S D=K E=I F=C G=O H=V I=F J=L K=R L=N M=Q N=X O=T P=D Q=M R=P S=Z T=W U=J V=B W=E X=H Y=U Z=A