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 1
Medium · 40 letters
Starter clue: Z = H
ZKJZSUOLMZKTLSSZOIZ,JSG'LIKLLZDSBIZZOTTSGI.
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
Puzzle 2
Expert · 40 letters
Starter clue: G = E
UGWRGIUTAJGOMFKJTRX,DRZHLTOZFUGOKMFEVUEAG.
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
Puzzle 3
Hard · 40 letters
Starter clue: M = T
WMWVSRMMRTMERGEWZUVEXDZUGTPMEFQMEROFMERT.
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
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X
Y
Z
Puzzle 4
Hard · 40 letters
Starter clue: N = O
VPLETXVVLNGXVNTQNIVXYHLEHTZZXBHIRVNTWNNR.
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
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X
Y
Z
Puzzle 5
Medium · 40 letters
Starter clue: R = E
LGRYNQ'PARTTRCEPTNLLGROCDJRLNARRODPDFPDQR.
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
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X
Y
Z
Puzzle 6
Hard · 40 letters
Starter clue: D = A
UDMOWORULKNBVNTLDVNRBDBEXRLKRPIVNTLDVDUZ.
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)
“He who pitches too high, won't get through his song.”— German proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=Z B=U C=J D=R E=X F=L G=N H=V I=G J=W K=E L=T M=C N=K O=I P=Q Q=D R=M S=O T=S U=P V=Y W=A X=F Y=B Z=H
“He knew Himself to sing, and build the lofty rhyme.”— John Milton, 1638, Lycidas, Line 10 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=M B=J C=X D=A E=Y F=T G=E H=B I=W J=S K=O L=U M=F N=P O=L P=V Q=C R=N S=Z T=I U=H V=R W=K X=G Y=Q Z=D
“It is better the child should cry than the father.”— German proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=P B=G C=V D=U E=H F=A G=C H=X I=Q J=W K=M L=J M=T N=K O=F P=Y Q=N R=E S=B T=R U=D V=S W=I X=O Y=Z Z=L
“Sickness comes on horseback and departs on foot.”— Dutch proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=J B=P C=V D=X E=K F=L G=M H=A I=R J=W K=G L=C M=U N=O O=Z P=I Q=H R=T S=Q T=N U=Y V=S W=F X=E Y=B Z=D
“The dog's kennel is not the place to keep a sausage.”— Danish proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=K B=Y C=L D=A E=I F=U G=H H=B I=J J=C K=Z L=T M=X N=O O=P P=S Q=G R=E S=F T=N U=R V=M W=Q X=W Y=D Z=V
“March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.”— English proverb, 1859, Recorded in Walter K. Kelly, Proverbs of All Nations, Compared, Explained, and Illustrated (London, 1859)Cipher key: A=J B=N C=X D=A E=D F=P G=Z H=V I=T J=F K=S L=E M=R N=I O=C P=U Q=Y R=O S=W T=K U=M V=L W=H X=G Y=Q Z=B