Puzzle 1
Starter clue: A = S
UTBBWRNAAKNBNRKA,TARTPXINAUYMA,ENAAYRNQPNIWYIPUWRZAPUTRJYAPAXBBYAN.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
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- M
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William Cowper Cryptograms Set 3
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
RSYABTOKXZ,AYCBFSBTYKMBUDTOXADXC,UGKQFSBMUBOFXYUXGYF,OKJYQQFYAAOFSDPB.
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 3
Starter clue: M = E
WFDQEBWCHESBMPWCPWCUXMMSUMSPPFTFCQMZBMAUCHESBMPWCPWCUXMMSNMOPCPWFQM!
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: T = E
UTITJUTUTVIJPVXQEOTVFNTYFZZTNNMHJMJUTUTVL,VHLZTVIHEHQCENTIQIMCCEJUMFJUENAMMWN.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: D = T
DPOVHREPFHESAQPUVDDECUBCOBFOVTHIPUQD,OVAIXGODHDXGGZGHERBOSSGPZIPUDUIHWZODXETHOVAOPDH.
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 6
Starter clue: R = E
IHWPJCXPFXPJRBLHFRNICYRRPRIXRFHSPCJXHPFEVHVCNRGFR,GXYRYXPNBRNNBHLF,QRRPIXPTGRNXPJHHPR.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
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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)
- “Happiness depends, as Nature shows, Less on exterior things than most suppose.”— William Cowper, 1782, Poems (1782), Table Talk. Line 246 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=S B=P C=J D=F E=L F=K G=Y H=Q I=R J=M K=D L=B M=W N=E O=V P=T Q=X R=N S=Z T=A U=H V=C W=I X=U Y=O Z=G
- “While fancy, like the finger of a clock, Runs the great circuit, and is still at home.”— William Cowper, 1785, The Task, Book IV. The Winter Evening. Line 118 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=L B=E C=K D=O E=Q F=T G=U H=J I=Z J=D K=N L=P M=G N=V O=A P=M Q=S R=W S=H T=F U=R V=B W=X X=C Y=I Z=Y
- “How much a dunce that has been sent to roam Excels a dunce that has been kept at home!”— William Cowper, 1782, Poems (1782), The Progress of Error. Line 415 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=L B=C C=A D=W E=U F=O G=Y H=D I=G J=V K=F L=Z M=E N=K O=P P=T Q=M R=I S=N T=R U=S V=Q W=H X=B Y=J Z=X
- “Here the heart may give a useful lesson to the head, And Learning wiser grow without his books.”— William Cowper, 1785, The Task, Book VI. Winter Walk at Noon. Line 85 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=B B=J C=W D=Q E=I F=U G=C H=N I=R J=T K=Z L=D M=O N=S O=V P=M Q=G R=X S=P T=E U=H V=A W=K X=Y Y=F Z=L
- “Transforms old print to zigzag manuscript, and cheats the eyes of gallery critics by a thousand arts.”— William Cowper, 1785, The Task, Book II. The Timepiece. Line 363 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=D B=G C=Z D=T E=O F=M G=E H=S I=C J=K K=J L=Q M=X N=V O=A P=R Q=P R=F S=L T=U U=I V=N W=B X=H Y=W Z=Y
- “Mountains interposed make enemies of nations who had else, Like kindred drops, been mingled into one.”— William Cowper, 1785, The Task, Book II. The Timepiece. Line 17 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=J B=R C=A D=Q E=W F=S G=L H=O I=M J=T K=C L=P M=Y N=D O=Z P=N Q=B R=E S=F T=G U=V V=H W=U X=I Y=K Z=X