Puzzle 1
Starter clue: K = E
WGSK!IXWCRKVLETPHKDBLVHDCXKSWDCXWCSKPPEKTILCXAHEPLVHD!
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
Winter Cryptograms Set 7
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 = N
WVUTQFDDPBQMS,WVUTVUDPBUBC,WVUT,PXNNALBMMG,XRWQGGDPBGUQC!
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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- Z
Puzzle 3
Starter clue: V = E
RVCRPCGEAQBXVRVPQCRNWAHCGVPIRKHGKUCVIMQECRVHKUHAWWVI.
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 4
Starter clue: B = T
CTUBEOUBHOYUMBMTUVVWOUMBSM,VFZTBUEKPTQFPO,QWUBBFPBUMBO?
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: B = I
BPBRMOZNOOZWFWHOIBDOCWBZNIWZNHBRBOHYSWOBRKOCDWYPIBKW.
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: O = E
VAOQGVOLVZYXZVDGIUKGFZLUKZPAEODGLSVAOSKOYRWGIYJYKZPO.
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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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)
- “Ay me! what perils do environ the man that meddles with cold iron!”— Samuel Butler, 1663, Hudibras, Part I, Canto III. Line 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=C B=V C=T D=N E=L F=G G=Y H=O I=W J=B K=E L=I M=K N=F O=U P=D Q=J R=P S=M T=S U=Q V=R W=A X=H Y=Z Z=X
- “Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow!”— Alfred Tennyson, 1850, In Memoriam A.H.H., CV. Stanza 2 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Y B=E C=W D=T E=J F=U G=S H=V I=M J=F K=Q L=B M=L N=P O=Z P=H Q=O R=C S=D T=G U=N V=I W=R X=A Y=X Z=K
- “He that would be healthy must wear his winter clothes in summer.”— Spanish proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=U B=D C=T D=K E=O F=J G=W H=S I=R J=Z K=I L=V M=C N=Y O=F P=A Q=L R=H S=G T=X U=N V=E W=M X=B Y=Q Z=P
- “What neat repast shall feast us, light and choice, Of Attic taste?”— John Milton, 1673, Sonnet: To Mr. Lawrence (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Q B=T C=W D=B E=N F=I G=K H=R I=V J=X K=D L=J M=S N=Z O=E P=C Q=O R=Y S=U T=H U=A V=L W=F X=M Y=P Z=G
- “I find that the best virtue I have has in it some tincture of vice.”— Michel de Montaigne, 1580, Essays, Book II, Chap. XX. That we taste nothing pure (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=W B=I C=U D=R E=J F=B G=Y H=S I=V J=L K=C L=G M=D N=A O=T P=F Q=Z R=N S=M T=X U=P V=Q W=E X=K Y=O Z=H
- “The potentiality of growing rich beyond the dreams of avarice.”— Samuel Johnson, 1791, Boswell, Life of Johnson, Life of Johnson (Boswell). Vol. VIII. Chap. II (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=H B=Z C=K D=Y E=B F=W G=O H=J I=F J=V K=R L=N M=Q N=U O=E P=C Q=P R=M S=D T=X U=G V=T W=S X=L Y=A Z=I