How to play Cryptogram

A cryptogram is a famous quote written in a simple code: every letter of the alphabet stands for a different letter. If G stands for T once, it stands for T everywhere in the quote. Work out which letter is which, and the quote appears. Spaces and punctuation stay as they are, which is a big help.

Writing letters

• Tap a blank, then a letter on the keyboard below. On a computer you can just type.
• The letter you write fills every blank with the same code letter, all through the quote.
• A real letter can stand for only one code letter. If you use it again somewhere else, it moves there.
• Letters you have used are dimmed on the keyboard. Erase clears a blank, and Undo takes back moves.

Easy, Medium and Hard

Easy fills in 4 letters for you to start. Medium fills in 2. Hard gives you nothing but the code. Pick the level in Settings.

Checking and hints

When every blank is filled, letters that are not right turn red, so you know where to look. Stuck? Hint fills in one letter for you and adds 30 seconds to your time.

Tricks that crack the code

1. One-letter words. A word of one letter is A or I.
2. THE and AND. The most common three-letter words. A three-letter word that shows up twice is very likely THE.
3. Apostrophes. After an apostrophe usually comes S, T, D or LL, as in IT'S, DON'T, I'D and WE'LL.
4. Double letters. The most common are LL, EE, SS, OO and TT.
5. Common letters. E, T, A, O, I and N are the most common letters in English. The code letter you see most is often E.
6. Read out loud. Half a word is often enough to guess the rest.

The quotes

There are 70 quotes: American founders and presidents, Franklin's almanac, Twain, Shakespeare, Frost, old proverbs and more. Every one is in the public domain and comes with its source, shown after you solve it.

Today's puzzle

Every day there is one Daily Puzzle, Medium level, with a new quote that is the same for every player. Crack it as fast as you can and see how you compare with everyone else who played today.

Questions

Working on the cryptoquote in the paper? The cryptogram helper lets you try letters and suggests where to look next.

Can a letter stand for itself? Never. Every code letter is different from the real letter it hides.

Does the code stay the same between puzzles? No. Every puzzle has its own code.

Do I need an account? No. Your puzzles, streak and settings stay in this browser. A free account keeps them on every device.