What is a cryptogram?

A cryptogram is a quotation with every letter replaced by another letter, the same way throughout. You crack the substitution so the quote reads. A few letters are given to start, and no letter ever stands for itself.

Is this cryptogram generator free?

Yes. Pick a difficulty, generate a puzzle and print it with its answer, with no sign-up and no watermark. It is free for classroom, home and personal use.

Where do the quotations come from?

From a hand-curated, family-safe bank of traditional proverbs and sayings, reviewed before it ships. There are no modern copyrighted quotes.

Does every puzzle decode one way?

Yes. Every cipher is built and checked so it round-trips to exactly one quotation. The decoded quote is on the second page.

What size are the pages?

The free tool prints at 8.25 by 11 inches, a popular large-print size. Our Publisher Studio will export the same book at any KDP trim, from 5.06 by 7.81 up to 8.27 by 11.69, as a print-ready 300 DPI interior.

Free tool

Free cryptogram generator, with the answer

Pick a difficulty and generate a ciphered quotation, then print it with its answer. Every puzzle decodes exactly one way, with no sign-up and no watermark. It runs on the same engine as our KDP Publisher Studio.

Difficulty

Harder grades reveal fewer starting letters. Every puzzle decodes one way.

4 letters given. Crack the cipher so the quote reads.

Two pages: the enciphered quotation with its starting letters, and the decoded answer. Drawn from a curated, family-safe saying bank, proved to decode one way by the same engine as our KDP studio.

Want the whole book?

This makes one puzzle. Sign up to turn it into a full Cryptogram book for Amazon KDP: hundreds of graded puzzles at any trim, as print-ready PDFs.

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Preview

The enciphered quotation to crack, and the decoded answer.

Cryptogram Medium

OFVTSOFFJEIHBMTSOFVTSOFFJAIHYI

Given letters: O, T, F, I

1
Cryptogram Medium · Solution

OFUVTSOFFJSEIHGBHMTSOFUVTSOFFJMAIHNYDI

2

How to make a cryptogram

1Pick a difficulty. Choose how many starting letters are revealed. Harder grades give you fewer, so the cipher takes longer to crack.
2Generate the puzzle. Press Generate puzzle. You get a quotation enciphered letter for letter, with a few letters given to start.
3Print the two pages. Press Print / save PDF. You get two pages: the cipher to crack, and the decoded quotation.

How to solve a cryptogram

A quotation has been enciphered: every letter is swapped for another, the same way throughout. Crack the substitution so the quote reads. A few letters are given to start, and the answer is at the back.

The method

1Fill in the given letters. Write each given letter into every cell with its cipher letter, and watch the short words start to form.
2Attack the short words. One-letter words are A or I; common three-letter words are THE and AND. Each placement unlocks more.
3Use letter frequency. The most common cipher letter is often E, T or A; doubled letters are usually LL, EE, SS or OO.
4Check the answer page. Every puzzle decodes exactly one way, and the full quote is printed at the back.

The one rule: Same cipher letter, same real letter throughout; no letter stands for itself.
What the answer page shows: The fully decoded quotation.
How the grades differ: Harder grades reveal fewer starting letters.
Good for: Solvers who like deduction, patterns and a good saying.

Publishing a whole book?

This tool makes one puzzle for home or the classroom. To make a cryptogram book you can sell on Amazon KDP, Publisher Studio generates hundreds of graded puzzles across a difficulty curve, at any KDP trim, as a print-ready interior and solutions PDF.

See the KDP cryptogram maker

Questions

What is a cryptogram?: A cryptogram is a quotation with every letter replaced by another letter, the same way throughout. You crack the substitution so the quote reads. A few letters are given to start, and no letter ever stands for itself.
Is this cryptogram generator free?: Yes. Pick a difficulty, generate a puzzle and print it with its answer, with no sign-up and no watermark. It is free for classroom, home and personal use.
Where do the quotations come from?: From a hand-curated, family-safe bank of traditional proverbs and sayings, reviewed before it ships. There are no modern copyrighted quotes.
Does every puzzle decode one way?: Yes. Every cipher is built and checked so it round-trips to exactly one quotation. The decoded quote is on the second page.
What size are the pages?: The free tool prints at 8.25 by 11 inches, a popular large-print size. Our Publisher Studio will export the same book at any KDP trim, from 5.06 by 7.81 up to 8.27 by 11.69, as a print-ready 300 DPI interior.

Short of ideas? Browse our ready-made printables for this puzzle and print one today.