Puzzle 1
Starter clue: D = O
WEODPXUYGOUKKDXBUDYPWBYMDCWGVDPXSDCUOUL;WBTKKXUCWOUKDXBUDYPWBYMDCYVXGVDPXKWA.
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
Time Cryptograms Set 25
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: B = E
CBWDQINYYNAESTCBWDQQJBWYQNHBJOESTBMBDCXWC;WJYWQJJOBCQJBWYGQIDNHNGDQBYMBQWAWC.
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: K = E
QTUUHTCUSTQZYKQUWKKQTSYTICHKDZWULTINMSJDCK,-CILWYKQJCNDGKDQUWKCKMKZKQKSJUKMJAC.
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: H = S
DSBHDNETHVKHSNXD,-TOMSDSNFPSNHDBLFVKTHSKUV;FTRDSNFPHHBMMTTV,OHXKLETLDSNFPHPLKRKUV.
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
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- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 5
Starter clue: D = H
MTRRQNDJMNDJS,LSXZWQDRIGK!UXWDQTXUUSRNGKQDRTSJZWMJHZXWDQ;MTRRQNDJMNDJS,LSXZWQDRIGK!
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: I = E
ZHCIDWVQKSHWQDKTINISITUHQINQWSYFSBIGWPQSWVFIKTD,YPSYFSBIZHVISHUIWVSBIBPUKQDOHTHS.
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 violent wind does not last for a whole morning; a sudden rain does not last for the whole day.”— Laozi, 1891, Tao Te Ching (James Legge translation, 1891)Cipher key: A=Y B=S C=R D=O E=V F=J G=W H=K I=B J=Z K=D L=G M=F N=X O=I P=L Q=P R=Q S=M T=U U=N V=H W=A X=E Y=T Z=C
- “Years following years steal something every day; At last they steal us from ourselves away.”— Alexander Pope, 1738, Imitations of Horace, Satires, Epistles, and Odes of Horace. Epistle II. Book II. Line 72 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=W B=E C=Y D=R E=I F=Q G=U H=M I=F J=T K=X L=Z M=V N=O O=H P=B Q=S R=J S=N T=G U=K V=C W=A X=D Y=L Z=P
- “Not two strong men the enormous weight could raise, - Such men as live in these degenerate days.”— Alexander Pope, 1720, The Iliad of Homer (Pope's translation), Book V. Line 371 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Y B=J C=S D=I E=X F=Z G=V H=W I=U J=A K=E L=C M=D N=L O=Q P=B Q=N R=K S=R T=O U=T V=P W=H X=F Y=M Z=G
- “Thus times do shift, - each thing his turn does hold; New things succeed, as former things grow old.”— Robert Herrick, 1648, Hesperides, Ceremonies for Candlemas Eve (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=V B=U C=K D=T E=M F=N G=Z H=S I=Q J=X K=O L=R M=C N=I O=A P=G Q=Y R=W S=H T=E U=L V=D W=P X=F Y=J Z=B
- “Sweet Phosphor, bring the day! Light will repay the wrongs of night; Sweet Phosphor, bring the day!”— Francis Quarles, 1635, Emblems, Book I. Emblem 14 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=J B=U C=Z D=H E=K F=V G=A H=F I=D J=O K=Y L=B M=S N=P O=M P=X Q=T R=E S=R T=W U=L V=C W=G X=I Y=Q Z=N
- “Lives of nations are determined not by the count of years, but by the lifetime of the human spirit.”— Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1941, Third Inaugural AddressCipher key: A=K B=H C=V D=S E=Z F=Y G=C H=I I=E J=X K=A L=Q M=W N=D O=P P=U Q=N R=J S=T T=R U=M V=F W=O X=G Y=B Z=L