Puzzle 1
Starter clue: L = E
XBLYJBEPMFCFLLFLMKODCBNBXHJIJKE,LSYLWOILJOD,JBIQCFLIXHBJBKODCBNLSYLWOJNXXIMLWPOJOCXB.
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 27
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: Y = O
IOISH'VZWIEZQIFZYQZVTXPHPIBZS;ZFGCWBVUPYWISWZPIFZYQFYOYTX,UPYWOYTXFYWIFPZWYQH,ZQIWYWXQF.
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
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- T
- U
- V
- W
- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 3
Starter clue: Z = E
BSZZORKIBRKIP,NPDUEOKZHGJSKIBZXIUWMZPDUEPGJLGJXKGBZOKZBZTIEB;BSZZORKIBRKIP,NPDUEOKZHGJ!
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
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 4
Starter clue: A = E
YGANAKDBFKQQANASOALAYUAASMSABSFBSMYGANGMXNMQEKQAKSYGAKNBXYGMNKYWBSFDXLDAJXASYAQQAOY.
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 5
Starter clue: L = E
DHOLEJDOPLTIAZAOTDHSZLNOLYLEOTTOZAJLDEGLHDZLOPLLYLEOT,NEJAEOD-JNMNBZLNJMUNBFTOD-WDZZDU.
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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- U
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- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 6
Starter clue: D = T
VJEODXEONOKYOXDZXTTHOUTTAJFKIJFD,UKIDNOKZOEURTUFWNUDDNOXCVDFLXIXDRXKKJDPKJZXKWXDHOAJCO.
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)
- “One can survive everything nowadays, except death, and live down anything except a good reputation.”— Oscar Wilde, 1893, A Woman of No ImportanceCipher key: A=Z B=N C=I D=H E=S F=V G=Q H=W I=D J=A K=Y L=E M=R N=G O=T P=U Q=L R=M S=X T=J U=K V=F W=P X=O Y=C Z=B
- “A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony, in a moment.”— Jane Austen, 1813, Pride and PrejudiceCipher key: A=K B=P C=U D=X E=G F=T G=J H=Y I=A J=H K=Q L=W M=Z N=B O=L P=R Q=N R=C S=D T=V U=F V=S W=M X=E Y=O Z=I
- “Sweet Phosphor, bring the day whose conquering ray may chase these fogs; Sweet Phosphor, bring the day!”— Francis Quarles, 1635, Emblems, Book I. Emblem 14 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=X B=S C=J D=I E=G F=L G=A H=D I=O J=Y K=H L=M M=U N=B O=T P=R Q=K R=P S=W T=F U=N V=Z W=Q X=C Y=V Z=E
- “There is a difference between one and another hour of life in their authority and subsequent effect.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841, Essays: First SeriesCipher key: A=E B=A C=V D=S E=L F=D G=H H=P I=J J=Q K=I L=B M=O N=R O=C P=K Q=F R=M S=N T=Z U=W V=X W=Y X=U Y=T Z=G
- “Often do the spirits of great events stride on before the events, And in to-day already walks to-morrow.”— Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 1800, The Death of Wallenstein (translation), Act V. Sc. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=I B=L C=X D=O E=N F=K G=B H=F I=P J=D K=U L=E M=Y N=A O=T P=H Q=C R=Z S=G T=S U=W V=Q W=M X=J Y=V Z=R
- “Some time hence it will be all found out, and then we may laugh at their stupidity in not knowing it before.”— Jane Austen, 1813, Pride and PrejudiceCipher key: A=F B=Z C=R D=T E=M F=U G=X H=B I=D J=O K=N L=P M=Q N=H O=E P=K Q=J R=Y S=V T=L U=A V=S W=G X=I Y=C Z=W