Puzzle 1
Starter clue: J = E
VKJLAOTQGAA,PKGBKGEEOGNVZKOMJOSSZWSBJNVKJVIOCJNTZUKOFAJV,VKJBKOIOBVJIZUVKJLIGSBJZUNJSFOIRQJGSCAJUVZWV.
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
Sir Walter Scott Cryptograms Set 3
5 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 = O
XLPIQ,XLPIQSOTNKJBCLI,ECKKSOTECET!SLJKKSOTXTIXPJKYLBKQWBLNKJCF,LITNBLYQTQOLPBLEHKLBCLPXKCETCXYLBSOJIJHTYCSOLPSJIJFT.
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: Z = A
VW,OZHQZFWZYAZALZHGVOFBHAYSHGFOZLNAWBZLEWBLISAAIBOBZHA!ZHGOZHQZJVLGZALZHGVOFCVNBHOZQFVVAWB,VLJVXHG,ZWBZLAAWZA'FULVNBH!
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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- X
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: C = I
KCXSJKBRZPWRECZJPRECZSLRKLY,EVMKPHLMJPOKLEM,KEWLVJ,EVMTIL;TICJKCXSJKBYPV,EVMTSPZJ-KCHLMOECV,RPZWPVEZQSTTLKMPWTCXSCVHECV.
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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- Y
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: S = E
QCQGUSLGRWAYPWAROWYLUYLCRWSLQWPLSROQFSXAQBRX,QFSLSGYLZRBHFQOYB;RIASNYOOSOOSOOYFSZBYGCSTHSYIWASOS,ASFQUDSBWPLSWYXQCCARFOSCIQBQLXARWSXW.
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 (5 solutions)
- “The playbill, which is said to have announced the tragedy of Hamlet, the character of the Prince of Denmark being left out.”— Sir Walter Scott, 1825, The Talisman, Introduction (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=L B=C C=G D=Q E=S F=M G=I H=Z I=R J=E K=H L=P M=V N=D O=A P=W Q=B R=K S=N T=Y U=F V=T W=U X=J Y=X Z=O
- “Sound, sound the clarion, fill the fife! To all the sensual world proclaim, One crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without a name.”— Sir Walter Scott, 1816, Old Mortality, Chap. XXXIV (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=X B=R C=I D=Q E=F F=M G=J H=G I=N J=A K=L L=O M=B N=C O=H P=U Q=D R=Z S=T T=E U=Y V=K W=P X=S Y=W Z=V
- “Oh, many a shaft at random sent finds mark the archer little meant! And many a word at random spoken may soothe, or wound, a heart that's broken!”— Sir Walter Scott, 1815, The Lord of the Isles, Canto V. Stanza 18 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=T B=E C=P D=G E=C F=S G=D H=N I=L J=W K=Z L=R M=V N=K O=M P=X Q=Y R=J S=I T=Q U=B V=O W=H X=U Y=F Z=A
- “Lightly from fair to fair he flew, And loved to plead, lament, and sue; Suit lightly won, and short-lived pain, For monarchs seldom sigh in vain.”— Sir Walter Scott, 1808, Marmion, Canto V. Stanza 9 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=J B=Y C=I D=Z E=A F=B G=X H=V I=U J=T K=L L=E M=D N=Q O=P P=O Q=C R=F S=H T=S U=K V=N W=M X=G Y=W Z=R
- “A lawyer without history or literature is a mechanic, a mere working mason; if he possesses some knowledge of these, he may venture to call himself an architect.”— Sir Walter Scott, 1815, Guy Mannering, Chap. XXXVII (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=H B=N C=L D=V E=X F=M G=W H=G I=F J=Q K=B L=R M=Z N=P O=S P=U Q=A R=I S=E T=D U=Y V=J W=T X=C Y=O Z=K