Cryptograms Instructions

Cryptograms use what is called "simple substitution code." The phrase, sentence or paragraph is written as it reads; however, each letter in the alphabet has been substituted for another.

For example:

The Puzzle:

FZW AJKW DQ FZUB SPDX UB UPPDXUNJP THMBHUFB.

The Solution:

THE NAME OF THIS BLOG IS ILLOGICAL PURSUITS.

The Code:

A=N, B=S, D=O, F=T, H=U, J=A, K=M, M=R, N=C
P=L, Q=F, S=B, T=P, U=I, W=E, X=G, Z=H

Your job is to figure out the code. The easiest way to do that is to look for common words and frequently used word patterns.

For Example:

In the above puzzle "TH" appears twice and is a common word pattern. In phrases where you see two letters repeating at the beginning of several words, the likelihood that those two letters are "T" and "H" is high.
The, that, than, them, they, there, those, etc.

Words after a comma are also good starting points. Try looking for the words "and" and "but."

The use of the letters "E", "S", "C", "L", "T", etc. also form distinctive patterns.

Word endings are another way to solve these puzzles. "ING", "ION", "ES", "ED", "ESS", and "Y".

The less words in the puzzle, the higher the difficulty. Cryptograms do take practice. Once you get the hang of them, you will begin to learn word patterns and be able to spot them instantly.