Puzzle 1
Starter clue: Z = A
ULZHW,LZHW,LZHW,ZKOLBFNQAZCNUJIUUI,OHHNXUPNHZQAELZHW,BUBZANXAOVGNMOBFURBZAAFUVNUJLZE!
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 26
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: F = E
DXBQVZFCFMXJLFMCQDFXGCMXGJDCVDXNXJR-MUFCTLUFBTBFQNLTJQLGBBFJNVMUQJRFBMTPTNTSQDTXJ.
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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- Z
Puzzle 3
Starter clue: A = E
EASKQKXWNAVVXK-SDIXUAFKKS,XUABZADVNYA,XUABKEAYKJXK-FKYYKE,EUAQEADYARNMZSMQWNBKNYRAMQW.
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: V = T
ISRWVWUISRWV,SQMQHVVHROXBEQZHEVHXVIOGWQMHGRLSQLCSQ,REVDHSPOMMHGQUVSWKUSUVOJSVSVWCO.
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: I = E
UZIVITVIUNWUEOIDELTOTL'DREQINZILZIDZWCRMLWUDHIACRTUI:NZILZIATL'UTQQWVMEU,TLMNZILZIATL.
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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Puzzle 6
Starter clue: A = S
ONDWANMRGRANSCNOVRA,ONDWANMRDSUANSCNOVRA,ONDWANMRWKRSCDOALSV,ONDWANMRWKRSCCSSZOAMTRAA.
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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- X
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- 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)
- “O dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of noon, Irrecoverably dark, total eclipse without all hope of day!”— John Milton, 1671, Samson Agonistes, Line 80 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=L B=T C=Z D=G E=Y F=H G=S H=R I=N J=F K=M L=D M=W N=E O=I P=V Q=B R=U S=Q T=X U=O V=P W=K X=C Y=J Z=A
- “Today we reconsecrate our country to long-cherished ideals in a suddenly changed civilization.”— Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1937, Second Inaugural AddressCipher key: A=M B=D C=R D=T E=X F=E G=U H=K I=B J=N K=J L=S M=C N=L O=Q P=V Q=A R=G S=Z T=I U=H V=Y W=P X=O Y=F Z=W
- “We do not guess to-day the mood, the pleasure, the power of to-morrow, when we are building up our being.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841, Essays: First SeriesCipher key: A=E B=P C=J D=A E=W F=M G=V H=C I=Y J=F K=O L=X M=I N=U O=Q P=Z Q=N R=B S=D T=K U=H V=S W=G X=T Y=R Z=L
- “Habit is habit, and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.”— Mark Twain, 1894, Pudd'nhead WilsonCipher key: A=V B=L C=M D=C E=U F=K G=W H=O I=H J=P K=R L=Y M=D N=J O=E P=X Q=N R=B S=A T=Q U=S V=T W=I X=F Y=Z Z=G
- “There are two times in a man's life when he should not speculate: when he can't afford it, and when he can.”— Mark Twain, 1897, Following the EquatorCipher key: A=C B=J C=U D=S E=I F=Y G=V H=P I=E J=Z K=Q L=N M=D N=W O=M P=X Q=F R=L S=G T=A U=T V=R W=O X=B Y=K Z=H
- “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.”— Charles Dickens, 1859, A Tale of Two CitiesCipher key: A=S B=Q C=F D=W E=P F=J G=B H=Y I=V J=K K=G L=D M=H N=T O=I P=X Q=Z R=E S=O T=N U=R V=M W=A X=C Y=U Z=L