Puzzle 1
Starter clue: Q = E
RQWRUWLEJMZSQOWAJOWWUVQUSQOW,QMOQWEMQWPWUMETQLQIQNQOW.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
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- M
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Wisdom Cryptograms Set 119
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: P = E
MLPJMLPCDZUPJGMLPOVJNPZDNHMMLPLJIPJGJHCQJCCPDWJXUPXM.
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 3
Starter clue: N = S
WXVZZCRFNNKFJCLWURZA,HFAQFJBWRFNNUJHAZNNLWUAZUHIBFJNA.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: M = E
XBMCNPMLMWMPNYQLMXBNXNPMNSSQFENLZMHRZXBLQIYMXBQAUBXG.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: Q = E
OUQW,LMKFWBIWTILAHWFIWKBIWQ,OQZIMXJPVQQJIMDKQJEQKHJIWQ.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
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- M
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Puzzle 6
Starter clue: Q = T
QICHDCNQCFQWNEOQKWNLCBCQDNQZBHGZQZFQKHKJCAKBMQICRNDU.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
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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)
- “He that would jest must take a jest, else to let it alone were best.”— Dutch proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=M B=Z C=P D=X E=O F=Q G=Y H=C I=R J=U K=G L=W M=L N=B O=S P=I Q=E R=H S=J T=N U=A V=K W=T X=V Y=F Z=D
- “The other side of the globe is but the home of our correspondent.”— Henry David Thoreau, 1854, WaldenCipher key: A=W B=J C=R D=S E=K F=Q G=F H=U I=M J=O K=X L=H M=T N=B O=G P=E Q=C R=A S=Z T=Y U=D V=L W=P X=N Y=V Z=I
- “If goodness lead him not, yet weariness may toss him to my breast.”— George Herbert, 1633, The Temple, The Pulley (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=T B=R C=D D=X E=K F=E G=Z H=Y I=B J=A K=L L=H M=U N=S O=P P=V Q=W R=N S=C T=Q U=M V=G W=I X=F Y=J Z=O
- “They are never alone that are accompanied with noble thoughts.”— Sir Philip Sidney, 1590, The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia, Book I (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=U B=H C=Y D=K E=P F=M G=S H=D I=B J=F K=Z L=N M=E N=A O=J P=R Q=O R=W S=C T=X U=G V=Q W=V X=T Y=L Z=I
- “When, musing on companions gone, We doubly feel ourselves alone.”— Sir Walter Scott, 1808, Marmion, Introduction to Canto II (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=P B=G C=K D=R E=V F=I G=Z H=A I=O J=L K=S L=M M=U N=Q O=W P=Y Q=E R=T S=X T=C U=H V=F W=N X=B Y=J Z=D
- “The greatest fault of a penetrating wit is to go beyond the mark.”— Francois de La Rochefoucauld, 1665, Maximes, 377 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Y B=N C=E D=R E=U F=S G=W H=G I=H J=B K=O L=P M=D N=A O=L P=C Q=T R=M S=Z T=J U=K V=X W=F X=V Y=Q Z=I