Puzzle 1
Starter clue: I = E
HXIIKGIZHFMZNFMCYQBIQLHXILFEYBHFHI,HXIDTFBBQLLFBXEQMFMCHXIRQJTCQLLQYR,HXIQVBIYSICQLFTTQVBIYSIYB!
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 231
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: I = E
THTYHESLQJEHEITSBLHPITBJVQUULVHEIXYIUCIYHEOHHEIMKOBOVVLSWHLYIIXFLSBOBWBLHORRIOSBIFOBWKLXRUIHI.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
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Puzzle 3
Starter clue: S = E
RDSLSCNOYIMILPCFNSYW-BCNELOCNS;OFBCFTOLBNSYW-BCNEOLOUSQSFROWWZLBNRZQSBCRORCASNEYSSFOULORSWIYWSONR.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
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- D
- E
- F
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- H
- I
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: S = T
JIBALGPNSZFSPEPNWSZLBKUZLJZZFYYPBA,ZFYYPBACMASDW,FBGLTSZIMIVAPNEPASJFNPTMDDW,SZIMULDSTLBGLSSIVPAI.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
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- H
- I
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: Z = E
OKRZWFOWYXYVZQVCZWZPYSWZQZRXGFWSMMQZWZBFMPVPUSMZHPMYPKVCZYFOKRYZKYZSKRYFDZWLOREQZKVFGVCZBZFBMZ.
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 6
Starter clue: W = T
AYUAKVWWUYTWRETPYIQWVTPQTKWASTH,VWWASIWRFTKUQTKWASTH,VTPVWOKIWRAVQTKWASTH,USNNNYVPVUIYWXAYPKNPVHY.
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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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)
- “The expectancy and rose of the fair state, The glass of fashion and the mould of form, The observed of all observers!”— William Shakespeare, 1601, Hamlet, Act III. Sc. 1 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=Q B=S C=D D=G E=I F=A G=P H=T I=E J=U K=X L=F M=N N=Y O=Z P=W Q=O R=M S=V T=L U=K V=B W=J X=H Y=R Z=C
- “It is through their not being full of themselves that they can afford to seem worn and not appear new and complete.”— Laozi, 1891, Tao Te Ching (James Legge translation, 1891)Cipher key: A=J B=N C=V D=X E=H F=W G=Q H=T I=E J=G K=C L=O M=Y N=Z O=A P=B Q=U R=P S=R T=I U=L V=F W=D X=M Y=S Z=K
- “There is a luxury in self-dispraise; And inward self-disparagement affords to meditative spleen a grateful feast.”— William Wordsworth, 1814, The Excursion, Book IV (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=V B=D C=I D=H E=P F=N G=Q H=K I=U J=C K=Z L=R M=X N=S O=A P=Y Q=M R=T S=E T=W U=G V=B W=F X=J Y=L Z=O
- “Consider that everything which happens, happens justly, and if thou observest carefully, thou wilt find it to be so.”— Marcus Aurelius, 1862, Meditations (George Long translation, 1862)Cipher key: A=S B=N C=J D=L E=V F=A G=D H=X I=O J=C K=G L=I M=U N=R O=Q P=E Q=K R=Z S=T T=F U=W V=B W=Y X=M Y=P Z=H
- “Under our system there is a remedy for all mere political evils in the sound sense and sober judgment of the people.”— James Buchanan, 1857, Inaugural AddressCipher key: A=X B=P C=H D=B E=G F=O G=F H=V I=Z J=W K=N L=J M=L N=K O=U P=I Q=M R=D S=A T=Q U=C V=T W=R X=Y Y=S Z=E
- “He who at twenty understands nothing, at thirty knows nothing, and at forty has nothing, will lead a wretched old age.”— Spanish proverb, 1857, Recorded with English translation in Henry G. Bohn, A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (London, 1857)Cipher key: A=H B=J C=Q D=M E=U F=K G=Z H=G I=R J=V K=O L=X M=B N=L O=F P=D Q=S R=Y S=I T=N U=W V=A W=T X=C Y=E Z=P