Puzzle 1
Starter clue: R = E
UILARQIVMMPWAPRHAKVMLCRAIRJMVYT,PWKBWWFYWODRPQVARJVFLPOVP,VJQWMNRILOQW:MLER'QJHQLPRQQJRLPBZHQAAIRARKKLJMRYIWLYR.
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 21
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: B = E
DIBJPQISPBGBQWVDGJPFSGBFJCBFU,JDOFWWJPRUQTBQIJGYJPFICAYWJQZB,VQJPFKBIBMDUBIJCQWODWQJQDIBMBIJDUQFGWFICYIAYWJXBI.
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: V = E
LYJVRPVZXVHUUQDJLFODJHDDJVXVLZFPRLZDLFWDLPFSVDCVVFNLXDMVHFRNLWV,CJQ,ZLX,CJVFJVUVHNVZPMXJPMZVZUVDMZWPMFDPMXZEPPFZ.
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: T = A
TPTMKTRKTDGZU,TMZRKTRDGZUWXOGMEWMCZRGTVITOC;DQRNKCFCEFWCMZXKWVWX,TIIGEEWOCXGEIWECTFCTXWRNCFCJFTMRCZRGKWP,TMZKWXZCVQRU.
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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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: G = E
DSTPVZWGRPXWHGJFVZGHWLSPETGRHNSPPULJCRQVMGERQERHSQVFGJHRPPUVQZLJDLJRXGEVQXLLSJCLFGJQKGQXRPHUHXGKRHVHDSTPVZGESZRXVLQ.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
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Puzzle 6
Starter clue: W = E
VGWWNWUCVXZJCJESBMXKXPCVXZJZKVGWPXUXNRWMUXPWZKVGWTZUWMJIWJVQXNNFWGCXNWEQXVGCSSMZUCNFOVGWQGZNWSWZSNWZKVGWBJXVWERVCVWR.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
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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)
- “White shall not neutralize the black, nor good Compensate bad in man, absolve him so: Life's business being just the terrible choice.”— Robert Browning, 1869, The Ring and the Book, The Pope. Line 1236 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=T B=G C=Z D=P E=F F=D G=X H=U I=H J=B K=R L=I M=L N=V O=M P=N Q=S R=E S=Q T=K U=W V=A W=O X=Y Y=C Z=J
- “One thing here is worth a great deal, to pass thy life in truth and justice, with a benevolent disposition even to liars and unjust men.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=J B=E C=D D=O E=K F=A G=R H=Q I=N J=T K=B L=X M=V N=Z O=P P=H Q=I R=Y S=G T=F U=L V=W W=S X=M Y=U Z=C
- “If he does really think that there is no distinction between virtue and vice, why, sir, when he leaves our houses let us count our spoons.”— Samuel Johnson, 1791, Boswell, Life of Johnson, Life of Johnson (Boswell). Vol. II. Chap. V. 1763 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Q B=G C=W D=T E=P F=N G=Z H=A I=M J=H K=J L=I M=U N=V O=K P=O Q=Y R=D S=B T=X U=L V=E W=C X=R Y=F Z=S
- “A man hath a body, and that body is confined to a place; but where friendship is, all offices of life are as it were granted to him, and his deputy.”— Francis Bacon, 1625, The Essays or Counsels, Civil and MoralCipher key: A=J B=V C=E D=B E=F F=R G=O H=Z I=L J=G K=H L=Q M=N N=W O=C P=M Q=U R=T S=K T=A U=Y V=P W=I X=S Y=X Z=D
- “Public health service should be as fully organized and as universally incorporated into our governmental system as is public education.”— Herbert Hoover, 1929, Inaugural AddressCipher key: A=W B=Q C=G D=P E=D F=V G=E H=S I=X J=R K=M L=O M=Z N=F O=K P=L Q=N R=A S=U T=B U=Y V=I W=H X=T Y=J Z=C
- “The elevation and purification of the civil service of the Government will be hailed with approval by the whole people of the United States.”— Ulysses S. Grant, 1870, Second Annual Message to CongressCipher key: A=K B=U C=A D=X E=D F=B G=H H=J I=M J=N K=F L=Q M=R N=L O=Y P=C Q=W R=S S=P T=G U=V V=T W=E X=I Y=Z Z=O