Puzzle 1
Starter clue: U = T
QGUUGZUIBLAWUFEFXRBGUWFXUIEDZTGUWGRFZNXGTT.
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
Hope Cryptograms Set 1
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 = H
INWVMXEIVEIMQRAMEIBVZEIVGXEIZEWVGJIVXMQEIVXNSD.
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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- U
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- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 3
Starter clue: G = E
UBBUGHWSWGRGWWHUVXHWNBYRONXBRHZXVGUWVXGESYOGUWBPJUBVXGY.
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 4
Starter clue: X = E
TSRSDPFOXDJGCFDJEXOFHXRJFSDSPCSNHOHXWUY.GFAXJEXGFPXCSNEWAXFUWTFDXO.
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: D = E
LEZMDTDHAGIFZYCGGHCHDZPAGIFZY,SDNWYWM.SGUCYDOOEZONDYWIO,XGLDHZYCPZNWFWYWM.
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: M = E
VLMLMGRLVZPFRKMOVBMQKMOALMEOQESMUVNMKMQDVOVVOGQMEPFZWEEMQJIGRLV,PWVVLMF,NLGIMVLMGKADBUOQGDQZZIMUV,NMKMVDGIGQRWUNOKEGQVLMQGRLV.
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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- T
- U
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- X
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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)
- “Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”— Proverb, 1900, traditional proverbCipher key: A=G B=L C=J D=U E=C F=A G=E H=W I=O J=P K=Q L=I M=X N=K O=Y P=M Q=B R=D S=V T=S U=T V=F W=H X=N Y=Z Z=R
- “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul.”— Emily Dickinson, 1891, Poems, Second SeriesCipher key: A=W B=F C=Z D=L E=T F=D G=R H=K I=H J=C K=X L=Q M=I N=O O=J P=M Q=N R=G S=U T=Y U=V V=E W=P X=S Y=B Z=A
- “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”— Charles Dickens, 1865, Our Mutual FriendCipher key: A=C B=O C=Q D=K E=B F=V G=E H=I I=P J=A K=Z L=Y M=X N=W O=D P=F Q=J R=L S=U T=M U=N V=T W=S X=H Y=R Z=G
- “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”— Henry David Thoreau (Paraphrased from Walden. Thoreau’s own wording differs.), 1854, WaldenCipher key: A=V B=Z C=Y D=N E=H F=I G=L H=R I=P J=T K=X L=Q M=K N=U O=D P=F Q=W R=C S=O T=G U=M V=J W=A X=E Y=S Z=B
- “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1835, John Anster translation of FaustCipher key: A=Y B=J C=D D=E E=H F=C G=O H=R I=U J=K K=X L=W M=T N=G O=S P=M Q=F R=Q S=B T=V U=L V=Z W=I X=P Y=N Z=A
- “The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.”— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1858, The Ladder of St. AugustineCipher key: A=C B=M C=Q D=O E=D F=Y G=I H=Z I=L J=F K=R L=H M=E N=W O=A P=B Q=N R=G S=K T=X U=P V=T W=U X=J Y=V Z=S