Puzzle 1
Starter clue: D = E
HSDNDMHXDUBGMISGASIBHDUJFOLDBMJBMTVDDWJFDGMHSDSPRJDHP-TBOGJMPHTUDBUBMTFDXBMASPXO,LRHNPPTEPUFDHPP.
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
Henry David Thoreau 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: M = E
GRGVQKHKUYPRHKQRMEGVIYFMPDIMPRQGKCD,RTQRYUQCQSSTGITJGKEVHVSTMPMSMEGEKYRZKYSJMUYPMRTQRSMSMPMJYHKE.
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 = T
ZOHKMHZMNZOHWNZUVZSHFHNPHZOWXVMCWUNWSXSMAGHWXHVURSALZVMQHMCOUVKMVZHNUZPWZGHWVZIMLGXWIIMQKGUVOUZ.
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: F = O
FTDWPPLWAPXFTXTAFNXTQPFPRDSFFZEPFJXYDSWEPRWPXERFOJZRWYDJDXEOLDWTZFGGFLPOTXPCPFEDDPRDEGLXTQAFNDXT.
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: E = T
MQYGQMUREEUJUGVQEEWYEEWQBORPUUABURUOGNOPEZCYEQXJZQPXBYRXUREWQTGYZGZQBYRXJUGQBEBMZEWUOEXZBEZRNEZUR.
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: S = A
DSRHSMRKLDSFGMKYSEOGYWDIGFSRFEKICMLICLLASLAGDCMLMGGQLKRSEEKHAWMHKEYF,SRFHSYYWRSMZSJGMCJASMUWLLGFAWD.
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)
- “The gentle rain which waters my beans and keeps me in the house to-day is not drear and melancholy, but good for me too.”— Henry David Thoreau, 1854, WaldenCipher key: A=C B=A C=V D=E E=F F=M G=I H=T I=W J=S K=X L=B M=N N=G O=Y P=O Q=Z R=U S=H T=D U=R V=K W=P X=L Y=Q Z=J
- “It is an unfortunate discovery certainly, that of a law which binds us where we did not know before that we were bound.”— Henry David Thoreau, 1862, WalkingCipher key: A=Z B=X C=L D=Y E=D F=V G=I H=U I=C J=B K=N L=M M=E N=P O=G P=R Q=A R=T S=W T=H U=F V=S W=J X=Q Y=O Z=K
- “The poet or the artist never yet had so fair and noble a design but some of his posterity at least could accomplish it.”— Henry David Thoreau, 1854, WaldenCipher key: A=B B=Q C=F D=X E=J F=V G=L H=E I=C J=K K=P L=U M=O N=R O=H P=Y Q=M R=G S=N T=Z U=I V=S W=A X=D Y=W Z=T
- “One attraction in coming to the woods to live was that I should have leisure and opportunity to see the spring come in.”— Henry David Thoreau, 1854, WaldenCipher key: A=C B=Z C=Y D=E E=S F=O G=P H=B I=K J=L K=F L=R M=J N=M O=U P=T Q=G R=H S=W T=N U=X V=Q W=A X=I Y=V Z=D
- “We are wont to forget that the sun looks on our cultivated fields and on the prairies and forests without distinction.”— Henry David Thoreau, 1854, WaldenCipher key: A=K B=S C=V D=Y E=T F=Q G=R H=X I=J J=F K=B L=Z M=W N=C O=U P=L Q=E R=N S=M T=P U=O V=G W=H X=D Y=A Z=I
- “Man was not made so large limbed and robust but that he must seek to narrow his world, and wall in a space such as fitted him.”— Henry David Thoreau, 1854, WaldenCipher key: A=H B=X C=U D=M E=R F=D G=E H=W I=B J=C K=O L=T M=S N=J O=G P=Y Q=K R=N S=A T=V U=F V=Q W=I X=Z Y=L Z=P