Puzzle 1
Starter clue: P = O
WVPGVUAUVKUEEPTKVR,WVPGHYUHPKCPWIVPBBKFDNZXQUHEKFHPUGBHROUCCE,TFIDVPOKFDPCIKFIVTOKFDFPHYKFDZB.
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
William Cowper Cryptograms Set 4
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: Q = E
DRTTQT!PBQPHXQPBHPRGQXHPQPBRTXQTTKVTQQDTPKFHGGE,-FBKKTQVKPHXKVQHLGKLQGDHPQ,OYPLGKLQGPRDQPKDHGGE.
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 3
Starter clue: D = E
WGSIBCQGPXWQXDKTFGLKDJOXSWGKOWDSGCFZNBFFXQZFD,BJZSWGEPXOFLQJCDOPCJDXODDKXOWBOHPXLSGCFZBJQZFDCOGG!
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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- O
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: X = E
LXDQYPESWDMMWXIPXRXLSLGMX,ZANMHYHMXXPOYPAMXN,WAQQFXACMWXYLSGLB,DPQSYMWDSXFF-JLXQSWYNCXLKFGNXMWXNKXPX.
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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- O
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: I = E
BOIIGCBOAGWVGJIWNSGCHNQW,BOGBBOIVHTJNLJIWQEBNCMVGT,WBQJHNQWNLKOGTRIGTJYEIGWIJAHBOTNSIEBM,VHROBXIHTJQERIJ.
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: M = E
YIQDCMMSTRHACHKNMIDSYMLTKP!NILZHOMPQTSYSYMRZMMPIDTSRDCTAYSSYMSMLZMRSTSRMCDCHARVMYTKP,HKPSYMRQTDS-QTKAMP,HOOIQRIDCTAYS.
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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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)
- “From reveries so airy, from the toil of dropping buckets into empty wells, And growing old in drawing nothing up.”— William Cowper, 1785, The Task, Book III. The Garden. Line 188 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=V B=P C=L D=G E=S F=N G=M H=T I=D J=Q K=I L=J M=Z N=B O=W P=O Q=K R=Y S=X T=A U=E V=R W=F X=C Y=H Z=U
- “Misses! the tale that I relate this lesson seems to carry, - Choose not alone a proper mate, But proper time to marry.”— William Cowper, 1795, Pairing Time Anticipated (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Z B=H C=Q D=M E=Y F=C G=R H=A I=J J=X K=O L=P M=G N=D O=B P=T Q=E R=I S=K T=S U=W V=N W=V X=L Y=U Z=F
- “How various his employments whom the world calls idle, and who justly in return Esteems that busy world an idler too!”— William Cowper, 1785, The Task, Book III. The Garden. Line 352 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=G B=A C=R D=E E=J F=L G=O H=B I=V J=N K=M L=Y M=Z N=C O=T P=U Q=I R=Q S=W T=P U=K V=F W=H X=S Y=X Z=D
- “Reading what they never wrote, Just fifteen minutes, huddle up their work, And with a well-bred whisper close the scene.”— William Cowper, 1785, The Task, Book II. The Timepiece. Line 411 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=U B=K C=P D=A E=G F=L G=O H=F I=Y J=B K=C L=R M=T N=S O=M P=N Q=D R=V S=W T=Q U=Z V=X W=H X=E Y=I Z=J
- “The earth was made so various, that the mind of desultory man, studious of change and pleased with novelty, might be indulged.”— William Cowper, 1785, The Task, Book I. The Sofa. Line 506 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=W B=T C=R D=K E=L F=X G=A H=I I=E J=D K=C L=F M=Y N=O O=H P=Z Q=U R=G S=V T=N U=Q V=M W=S X=B Y=P Z=J
- “How fleet is a glance of the mind! Compared with the speed of its flight the tempest itself lags behind, And the swift-winged, arrows of light.”— William Cowper, 1782, Poems (1782), Verses supposed to be written by Alexander Selkirk (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=G B=V C=L D=F E=U F=Q G=Z H=A I=O J=X K=N L=M M=E N=C O=R P=D Q=W R=S S=T T=I U=Y V=B W=K X=J Y=H Z=P