Puzzle 1
Starter clue: W = E
RXWWKXFNW,BMWBRKYWCXWFKWTKIDWTTQMCTGYQJYFCBZWXMPWMKJFMJBMRWXBMFHWBHDW,QTQMFDPBTKWZWXSJBVMKXSVMHBHVDFX.
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 31
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: X = E
MZXRAZGYXULXPXRFXWERXOELRXLETGPBSDXOFFEGRCERX,GRWZXOGRREFTLEQAFVXGLRFZXEFZXLFZLXX,AWEREFLXUXGFQCVXPPER.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
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Puzzle 3
Starter clue: N = E
HSPTEN,PRBHNUN,XZTPCZNFHBNKBTXOSEVKGWWNCOTWCZNXTLBVZSFNOTHEJNEONVCZSCHSPLNJMBNOOXZSCHVTCTOAHCNCZNXTLBV.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: R = I
KDPEDIQRHMRAC,MHZDAAQYFMRAHZFQRHMRACHPRCKDPRFZRACHPKHSDPKHZRQRIA,CFXHJAQPWIQQYDKFQYAQHRMQDPMFQRHMFZKDFID.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: N = E
SNRXLNOZPNKDXJNZDUPYCHULNKXZPQKUHEXYBDRNKYHRNCDMENCCYZACUWXWKNNAULNKZBNZD,SYDRDRNHUZCDYDODYUZXCUOKAOYPN.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
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Puzzle 6
Starter clue: O = E
YVSOIIVYYOOQIGVDOIVWLPOYGSXNZJLOIIOQWJVYVWLJOVJSOHIGFNI,GFHGYVEVLGFXOYQVLTHWIOTHYDOJLVZVGOQDXSHESOIIYOII.
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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- R
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- T
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- W
- X
- Y
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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)
- “Free trade, one of the greatest blessings which a government can confer on a people, is in almost every country unpopular.”— Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1824, On Mitford's History of Greece. 1824 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Z B=O C=G D=L E=J F=A G=W H=P I=B J=C K=T L=X M=N N=D O=Q P=M Q=I R=F S=Y T=S U=K V=U W=E X=R Y=H Z=V
- “When I have presented one corner of a subject to any one, and he cannot from it learn the other three, I do not repeat my lesson.”— Confucius, 1861, The Analects (James Legge translation, 1861)Cipher key: A=I B=U C=Y D=J E=O F=T G=A H=K I=X J=Z K=G L=R M=W N=Q O=C P=S Q=M R=N S=B T=F U=P V=L W=D X=E Y=V Z=H
- “I am one, my liege, Whom the vile blows and buffets of the world have so incensed that I am reckless what I do to spite the world.”— William Shakespeare, 1606, Macbeth, Act III. Sc. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=P B=L C=T D=J E=N F=V G=U H=I I=X J=C K=B L=R M=K N=E O=S P=M Q=Z R=Y S=A T=O U=G V=D W=F X=W Y=Q Z=H
- “Perfectionism, no less than isolationism or imperialism or power politics, may obstruct the paths to international peace.”— Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1945, State of the Union AddressCipher key: A=S B=V C=M D=E E=F F=A G=Q H=O I=C J=B K=P L=J M=N N=G O=Z P=R Q=T R=I S=W T=D U=X V=K W=U X=Y Y=H Z=L
- “We have undertaken to discover and proclaim the richest blessings of a free government, with the Constitution as our guide.”— Grover Cleveland, 1888, Fourth Annual Message to CongressCipher key: A=G B=M C=S D=T E=L F=Y G=J H=C I=Z J=K K=R L=V M=B N=E O=U P=D Q=P R=H S=W T=X U=O V=Q W=F X=A Y=I Z=N
- “No lesson needs to be so urgently impressed upon our people as this, that no worthy end or cause can be promoted by lawlessness.”— Benjamin Harrison, 1892, Fourth Annual Message to CongressCipher key: A=X B=Z C=K D=B E=W F=H G=T H=A I=S J=P K=Q L=R M=J N=I O=E P=G Q=D R=F S=L T=C U=V V=O W=U X=Y Y=N Z=M