Puzzle 1
Starter clue: K = E
DRQFPYMQIILKZCPLZPSKQUJKXYCKILKFRCKLRIPLKH;RQHOLKCKILKFKBWKPIJRPYQ,DKKIOZILJCYSKQJYQKU.
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
Wisdom Cryptograms Set 220
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: D = E
IXRARLMTDCNIXRNNRDTHMPCFHWWDNDGQD.MPDND'LCFCHLI;HTXRSFBHZDIXRLXADZHXSDML,VRMMPDITHMPDNDF.
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
Starter clue: O = E
LFROUKXWKGOADSOZDQUOSOGDSR.TOKXLCUXDUDQTMLRPKSQHKWULPOSCWRHDRPLMOSKXLPWPPWLMKDXLCPOTA.
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 4
Starter clue: D = E
TKTQXDSERQDNDTQKNRQWVDDWVFBQKVTITGHKNEKKNDVDWFVDGFFGDTGKNDJFVOCTQEXODKFQKVTIDJTKNNTB.
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 5
Starter clue: I = E
QJIISYFIJVGIVLMENVYSJIELIJGIVEHILMEVXBNJINTIHLQYJERLMYJBLWEVXHYVLBVREDFBYDELBYVYQDEA.
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 6
Starter clue: B = T
OHBLFHXBOVHXUXFJOBFXBOVHGXHHVBJLVKOBBLQYFVKBCLUOIBVYISJTLGBIGUXOKOHRVSFGVHIOQLFXBOVH.
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)
- “Many count their chickens before they are hatched; and where they expect bacon, meet with broken bones.”— Miguel de Cervantes, 1615, Don Quixote, Part II, Chap. LV (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=G B=X C=R D=M E=L F=Y G=V H=D I=T J=B K=E L=H M=U N=J O=W P=C Q=N R=A S=K T=Q U=S V=Z W=P X=F Y=O Z=I
- “You must wear your rue with a difference. There's a daisy; I would give you some violets, but they withered.”— William Shakespeare, 1601, Hamlet, Act IV. Sc. 5 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=M B=G C=A D=E E=X F=D G=N H=I I=Y J=K K=Q L=S M=T N=R O=J P=H Q=C R=U S=L T=W U=P V=B W=F X=O Y=Z Z=V
- “I knew that before you were born. Let him who would instruct a wiser man consider this as said to himself.”— Phaedrus, 25, Fables, Book V. Fable 9, 4 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=F B=P C=M D=O E=G F=K G=B H=C I=Z J=V K=T L=I M=D N=X O=E P=S Q=U R=N S=R T=L U=W V=J W=A X=H Y=Q Z=Y
- “It is because he is thus free from striving that therefore no one in the world is able to strive with him.”— Laozi, 1891, Tao Te Ching (James Legge translation, 1891)Cipher key: A=Y B=M C=D D=E E=A F=O G=N H=G I=V J=W K=T L=X M=P N=H O=L P=K Q=S R=U S=C T=I U=Q V=R W=F X=B Y=Z Z=J
- “Free government has no greater menace than disrespect for authority and continual violation of law.”— Calvin Coolidge, 1923, State of the Union AddressCipher key: A=W B=I C=K D=L E=A F=V G=M H=C I=E J=R K=Q L=T M=H N=S O=X P=B Q=F R=U S=G T=P U=Z V=N W=Y X=D Y=O Z=J
- “International arbitration cannot be omitted from the list of subjects claiming our consideration.”— William McKinley, 1897, First Annual Message to CongressCipher key: A=Z B=T C=H D=Q E=V F=R G=C H=N I=S J=B K=M L=E M=X N=P O=I P=Y Q=D R=G S=U T=J U=L V=O W=K X=A Y=F Z=W