Puzzle 1
Starter clue: P = N
UYYTLYEWHPJICRZNICAYPDJSNIKB,CTZLHKNYP,HPTEHPPCIA,HPTFNKBICUHITKYCTZLHKNYPNAPYKMCIJPNLC.
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 17
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
QCQPBVXAXSQDTFNFDQEWFUPXLTAAYATQTYDYPFDORPYJXAYJQDAQPXDLATQRWKUXVNQPCXVQYJTXNVYWDAPB.
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 3
Starter clue: O = T
OIDQDVOJZOWVOWVTROOIDNJTAIRSWCDVIWVDGDRTFRVODZWOG,QEOOIDRTDAIRHRUDVOIDFZJBOWBDRSIWVJZO.
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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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: A = T
YTUMDIA,OJDKNMAADEDLKUAYPJYTCQYTEVXUSYIYAADCVVTCAYDTUCTEIJBKYIJLKUAYPJZIDHAMJHYTIJAKIT.
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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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: X = T
LDQZGDXMNZWMXNQCJOGOZXMNPFXJANPXMDFPFQKZGXFRD,OQTDLVCNJGVDDRMNQCJXNRNQRDOCXMDFPXMNZWMXG.
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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Puzzle 6
Starter clue: A = E
JBAHANDTFJMXRXWJBARFJMXRFTBMNBSFOGVDGJKAGDYBJBFJJBAOGBFTTGAHPAFTTUAXUTASMJBAEDFTZDGJMYA.
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)
- “Good company requires only birth, education, and manners, and with regard to education is not very nice.”— Jane Austen, 1817, PersuasionCipher key: A=S B=H C=E D=L E=M F=W G=K H=A I=R J=Y K=T L=C M=V N=I O=X P=N Q=F R=Q S=B T=D U=G V=Z W=P X=J Y=O Z=U
- “Every citizen has an equal right to the honor and profit of entering the public service of his country.”— Rutherford B. Hayes, 1879, Third Annual Message to CongressCipher key: A=T B=Y C=V D=N E=Q F=A G=M H=X I=K J=F K=B L=G M=W N=S O=D P=R Q=E R=P S=Z T=H U=L V=C W=U X=I Y=O Z=J
- “The best artist is not the man who fixes his eye on posterity, but the one who loves the practice of his art.”— Robert Louis Stevenson, 1881, Virginibus Puerisque and Other PapersCipher key: A=W B=C C=X D=E E=U F=P G=Y H=L I=H J=A K=G L=Q M=D N=M O=T P=J Q=B R=O S=F T=N U=V V=S W=I X=Z Y=K Z=R
- “In short, we ought to do justice in a kindly spirit to all nations and require justice from them in return.”— James Buchanan, 1857, Inaugural AddressCipher key: A=T B=Q C=A D=O E=D F=B G=Z H=M I=R J=E K=U L=J M=H N=G O=W P=C Q=K R=V S=P T=N U=S V=L W=X X=Y Y=I Z=F
- “Men use thought only as authority for their injustice, and employ speech only to conceal their thoughts.”— Voltaire, 1763, Dialogue XIV. Le Chapon et la Poularde (1763) (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=F B=X C=L D=E E=K F=I G=S H=W I=Z J=Y K=J L=M M=H N=O O=A P=R Q=N R=C S=B T=D U=Q V=P W=G X=T Y=V Z=U
- “The regulation of the national highways must be such that they shall serve all people with equal justice.”— Theodore Roosevelt, 1908, Eighth Annual Message to CongressCipher key: A=E B=H C=D D=U E=Q F=A G=S H=R I=K J=T K=B L=Z M=I N=G O=Y P=V Q=X R=N S=W T=L U=P V=M W=F X=O Y=C Z=J