Puzzle 1
Starter clue: L = E
QALDFVRULDHPUFEDL,JALSPPRUTYJVYYPHEVJL;LBYLJALOQEBBGVBBPDLFOPDL,VDTDNEJELRYVHXEGEHLEDVHPDJLUNJEFBLYJXTSSBL.
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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- R
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- X
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- Z
Winter Cryptograms Set 20
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: Z = E
VZLXGUIGR,OTZBUIGOEGZXPMZAP-WXFZUDLZDO,EMIGXFZDIDOILXDWPUZZLZDOXUZMBZGOOTZUEWTOMIDVAEKZUOEZMXPOTZEUPZAAXCM.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
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- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
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Puzzle 3
Starter clue: L = E
NULGOYXBDGOYL,AOGQQLHROKGLFDYVRL,AQLHLOMMOYLEVRVMYLGHBGQAOGQZURFDQLALOZQD,VMFDUROFNBFFOMZVZVOMDGLTNGINHVODL.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
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- D
- E
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: C = E
AUJUQYSQCMDCQUOUBLPNLPOURCUPOECVUAPOPYVCJLYAQBVVACCQBX,OECKYPUPBVYWWBAQCACQWUKCAOF,OECZUOYWVBARCBVDABJACPP.
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: S = T
ZWZPLHQZDQSRZXHPCEFQHXMSRISSRZMHBSHWZPNHTZMSRZRIPE,IQESRZXZIFSRZMSPHQK,UVSQHHQZDMIUCZSHNIPPLDSHVSDQYPINSDNZ.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
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Puzzle 6
Starter clue: K = E
LZKWDJCNCETIKPKNDXKPLRCAKTPJKPLDGLZKDJYTCAKJKPLCNLZKYKCYVKDPKAKTQGLWLDCPWPULZKWJKVDCTWLDCPCNLZKDTXCPUDLDCP.
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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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)
- “When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.”— Edmund Burke, 1770, Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents, Vol. I. p. 526 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=H B=L C=Z D=N E=I F=B G=F H=C I=J J=T K=X L=E M=K N=P O=Y P=O Q=W R=D S=G T=U U=M V=A W=Q X=R Y=S Z=V
- “Democracy, the practice of self-government, is a covenant among free men to respect the rights and liberties of their fellows.”— Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1939, State of the Union AddressCipher key: A=L B=P C=W D=N E=I F=V G=C H=J I=A J=K K=B L=M M=S N=Q O=T P=F Q=U R=Y S=Z T=H U=R V=D W=G X=O Y=X Z=E
- “Poetic Justice, with her lifted scale, Where in nice balance truth with gold she weighs, And solid pudding against empty praise.”— Alexander Pope, 1728, The Dunciad, Book I. Line 52 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=W B=U C=K D=S E=B F=D G=T H=R I=Y J=Q K=F L=E M=N N=P O=I P=V Q=H R=L S=X T=M U=O V=A W=Z X=J Y=C Z=G
- “Rigid and expeditious justice is the first safeguard of freedom, the basis of all ordered liberty, the vital force of progress.”— Herbert Hoover, 1929, Inaugural AddressCipher key: A=R B=O C=E D=P E=H F=Y G=K H=Z I=W J=G K=B L=U M=X N=J O=T P=S Q=D R=C S=N T=Q U=I V=F W=L X=M Y=A Z=V
- “Every one in the world knows that the soft overcomes the hard, and the weak the strong, but no one is able to carry it out in practice.”— Laozi, 1891, Tao Te Ching (James Legge translation, 1891)Cipher key: A=Q B=F C=L D=I E=D F=K G=J H=O I=A J=X K=G L=Y M=S N=C O=Z P=R Q=N R=H S=T T=M U=B V=U W=V X=W Y=P Z=E
- “The aim of our beneficent Government is the improvement of the people in every station and the amelioration of their condition.”— Grover Cleveland, 1885, First Annual Message to CongressCipher key: A=V B=X C=O D=I E=U F=W G=S H=Z I=B J=M K=E L=T M=K N=F O=J P=N Q=Y R=G S=Q T=R U=D V=L W=A X=C Y=P Z=H