You'll be solving cryptograms in no time at all by following our tips!
Upon first glance, a cryptogram looks like a senseless arrangement of random letters. But if you know a few things about the English language, you'll soon see important clues.
In any type of standard cryptogram puzzle, one letter of the alphabet is substituted with another letter. The same substitution is used throughout a single puzzle.
When you're solving these puzzles, remember that if A = Z, it will always equal Z in that puzzle. But you should not assume that Z = A. It probably does not. Every new puzzle uses a new code.
With these facts in mind, here are a few tips on solving cryptograms.
Look at this example of solving cryptograms:
B M Q B ‘ P B M J S Q D B M J L R R Z N J L K X A G F J P.
You see two identical 3-letter words. You guess they might be AND. If you replace all the Bs with As, all the Ms with Ns and all the Js with D, you’ll get:AN _ A’ _ AND _ _ _ AND ……..You think to yourself, what could that first word be????
Then, since you took our advice and used an eraser, you quickly erase those ideas and start over. Now you assume that BMJ is THE.
Now you write:
TH _ T’ _ THE _ _ _ THE …..
which looks much more reasonable. Now you can conclude that Q is A and P is S to spell THAT’S. Then you replace the other Qs and Ps with those letters and you’re well on your way.
Of course, this is a very short example, so you may be hard-pressed to solve this entire sentence. But in case you’re curious… THAT’S THE WAY THE COOKIE CRUMBLES.
Put these tips to the test. This set of six short cryptograms is a great place to start!
Be sure to try more from our large assortment of cryptogram puzzles. We have cryptoquotes, cryptograms, cryptofamilies, Bible cryptograms, and weekly cryptograms.
A fun collection of brain teasers and spelling challenges. Best for ages 10 to adult.
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