Puzzle 1
Starter clue: C = E
PVCZRXFETKLTSCIRFQWTCI,RFQATMCADXIPVCZTIC.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
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- O
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William Wordsworth Cryptograms Set 1
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: U = A
UJUHHIIGYOJ,UZROJPLBGNRUCPLXWPUYOLMYNUZRMBPP.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
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Puzzle 3
Starter clue: O = E
TDKCFAAPCZKLO,TUPLAPXFOXJAFOOUUKHC,THLUOMUPBO.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: K = E
YTKHDKKYKHYYTBQOYTJYKAKNONKDGKHBXKJTZSJQXEEN.
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: B = O
JIJKBLOKJHWOXBCWHNBBV,GNTTHQEWONCJEEJV-OWHQTX'ORBZ.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
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Puzzle 6
Starter clue: L = E
ODFZVCDFVEMMDCLFULSILIOBLUOLFMVVRMBSUOBLUOLFVSI.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
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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)
- “The rainbow comes and goes, And lovely is the rose.”— William Wordsworth, 1807, Poems in Two Volumes, Ode. Intimations of Immortality. Stanza 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=L B=Q C=E D=Y E=B F=N G=P H=K I=S J=F K=W L=C M=V N=X O=Z P=T Q=D R=A S=M T=O U=J V=H W=G X=I Y=U Z=R
- “A happy youth, and their old age is beautiful and free.”— William Wordsworth, 1800, Lyrical Ballads (1800), The Fountain (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=J B=R C=G D=K E=M F=V G=O H=P I=Y J=H K=C L=I M=F N=L O=T P=E Q=X R=D S=Z T=W U=A V=Q W=B X=S Y=U Z=N
- “A light to guide, a rod to check the erring, and reprove.”— William Wordsworth, 1807, Poems in Two Volumes, Ode to Duty (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=T B=V C=G D=L E=F F=H G=J H=N I=X J=K K=I L=D M=P N=S O=E P=O Q=Z R=B S=W T=A U=R V=Q W=Y X=C Y=M Z=U
- “The sweetest thing that ever grew beside a human door.”— William Wordsworth, 1800, Lyrical Ballads (1800), Lucy Gray. Stanza 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=V B=I C=K D=W E=O F=X G=B H=S I=C J=A K=E L=Q M=L N=R O=G P=J Q=N R=Y S=M T=H U=F V=P W=Z X=D Y=T Z=U
- “A famous man is Robin Hood, The English ballad-singer's joy.”— William Wordsworth, 1807, Poems in Two Volumes, Rob Roy's Grave (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Q B=O C=B D=C E=L F=Z G=T H=N I=F J=A K=M L=U M=X N=H O=S P=V Q=G R=J S=W T=E U=K V=D W=I X=R Y=P Z=Y
- “Wisdom is ofttimes nearer when we stoop than when we soar.”— William Wordsworth, 1814, The Excursion, Book III (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=J B=H C=M D=I E=F F=S G=L H=Z I=R J=X K=Y L=E M=T N=C O=W P=K Q=U R=P S=A T=V U=N V=O W=Q X=B Y=G Z=D