Puzzle 1
Starter clue: H = T
PVJDBHJZIFHHJB,PBNPBOYLXHHORDHHRXHDBOEDSEUAPQU,HXRRQDRRDPISJJE.
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
Simplicity Cryptograms Set 17
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: U = E
PBMXXBUYUKQCTVCUUNBUEEYMECTOECULU,PKNXCULUPQCPKQUBBTLMKUAYLFT.
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: X = E
OULXVUYQEAMBEADYQZVMZSZSXLUIBMBN-IXE,MAZSXPXJXINUZYFXDIQPXBUYNS.
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
QIXUUIVKXPPVM,IDPCVYEVTUVKQPKTDIK,XWLJPDHVQPWCXZVP,LBUKVQMIJWDIK.
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: J = E
NXBPVEJIPILRTPBZHJITSMJUNFHXJSHV,XNHBPEEBJDPERTJHVTSMJLHJSEJSHV.
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: H = E
KHDOHJAHBYPEHRJBZIDLHQGHOSFHLJKASRASBLZJDNSJJNHSLJHOHBJSLCJZFH.
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)
- “A joint of mutton, and any pretty little tiny kickshaws, tell William cook.”— William Shakespeare, 1598, King Henry IV, Part II, Act V. Sc. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=H B=N C=V D=I E=K F=U G=Z H=T I=M J=O K=G L=R M=X N=D O=Y P=A Q=W R=L S=C T=Q U=S V=J W=B X=E Y=P Z=F
- “A little bench of heedless bishops here, And there a chancellor in embryo.”— William Shenstone, 1742, The Schoolmistress, Stanza 28 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=M B=L C=H D=V E=S F=Y G=W H=X I=K J=Z K=N L=R M=I N=D O=P P=A Q=C R=U S=J T=O U=E V=F W=Q X=T Y=B Z=G
- “Some would find fault with the morning-red, if they ever got up early enough.”— Henry David Thoreau, 1854, WaldenCipher key: A=F B=N C=B D=A E=D F=P G=J H=C I=R J=V K=Z L=M M=I N=G O=S P=Y Q=L R=X S=H T=K U=O V=W W=Q X=E Y=U Z=T
- “A little dinner, long expected and cold, is by no means given, but dearly sold.”— French proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=K B=U C=G D=O E=P F=H G=Q H=M I=L J=Y K=D L=B M=R N=J O=Z P=N Q=A R=W S=F T=C U=T V=E W=S X=I Y=X Z=V
- “Of listening children have your fears, for little pitchers have great ears.”— Dutch proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=M B=L C=B D=P E=T F=U G=J H=R I=N J=E K=Z L=G M=V N=O O=W P=I Q=K R=C S=A T=H U=Y V=S W=X X=F Y=Q Z=D
- “We are the subjects of an experiment which is not a little interesting to me.”— Henry David Thoreau, 1854, WaldenCipher key: A=H B=S C=G D=A E=J F=M G=P H=E I=F J=T K=W L=N M=Y N=L O=R P=B Q=X R=C S=I T=K U=Q V=D W=V X=Z Y=U Z=O