How to solve a cryptogram

Every cryptogram can be cracked with a handful of tricks. Once one or two letters fall, the rest usually follow quickly.

The rules

A cryptogram is a saying where every letter has been replaced by a different letter, using the same swap throughout. Work out what each code letter really stands for. Fill in a letter once and it appears everywhere that code letter is used. No letter ever stands for itself.

Start with one-letter words

In English, a word of one letter is almost always A or I. It’s the easiest foothold in the whole puzzle.

Try common short words

• Two letters: OF, TO, IN, IT, IS, BE, AS, AT, ON, OR.
• Three letters: THE and AND are by far the most common. ARE, FOR, BUT, NOT and YOU follow.

A three-letter word that appears twice is very likely THE.

Count the letters

The most common letters in English are E, T, A, O, I and N. The code letter that appears most often is a good candidate for E or T.

Look for patterns

A word with a repeated letter, like XYZZX, has a shape that few words fit. Double letters are often LL, EE, SS, OO or TT. Words ending in a repeated pattern like -ING or -TION show up too.

Use apostrophes

A single letter after an apostrophe is usually S or T (as in IT’S or DON’T). Two letters after an apostrophe are often LL, RE or VE.

Don’t be afraid to guess

Fill in a hunch and see if the words around it start to make sense. If two code letters end up with the same answer, both turn red, a signal that one of them needs to change.