How to solve a cryptogram, step by step

Last updated October 1, 2026

A cryptogram is a short saying written in code. Every letter of the alphabet has been swapped for a different letter, and your job is to work out the swaps and read the message. The same coded letter always stands for the same real letter, and in these puzzles no letter ever stands for itself. Best of all, spaces and punctuation are left as they are, so you can see where every word starts and stops. This guide shows how to use that, with a saying worked from start to finish. When you are ready, today’s free Easy Cryptogram is waiting.

A worked example

Here is a saying you may know, in code: Q WPZPLX ZD PZKJ WQFJW DZDJ. On the Easy level the game fills in the three most common letters of the saying to get you going. For this one they would be I, E and N, which are coded as Z, J and D. In the pictures, the top box of each pair is your guess and the letter underneath is the coded one.

Step 1: start with what you are given

Type or tap each letter you are given and every matching square fills in at once. Now look for words that are nearly or fully finished. Here the last word reads N I N E, which is NINE, and the short word before it reads I and a gap, which is probably IN.

Step 2: look for one-letter words

In English a one-letter word is almost always A or I. The first word is a single coded letter, Q. We already know that I is coded as Z, and a letter has only one code, so Q must be A. Fill in A everywhere Q appears.

Step 3: read what you have, then make a guess

Read what you have aloud, humming a sound for each gap. We now have A, then a six-letter word with I in the middle, then IN, then a four-letter word shaped gap I gap E, then a five-letter word shaped gap A gap E gap, then NINE. Many cryptograms are well-known sayings, and a few words are often enough to recognise one. IN, a word that ends in IME and NINE call to mind A stitch in time saves nine. Test it letter by letter. In the first long word the second and fourth letters are the same coded letter, which suits the double T in STITCH. The five-letter word begins and ends with the same coded letter, which suits SAVES. Every letter fits, so the guess is right.

Patterns that help

• Letter counts. In ordinary English the most common letters are E, T, A, O, I, N, S, H and R. That is a hint, not a rule: in a short saying another letter can easily come first. In our example the most common letter is I.
• Two-letter words. Common ones are OF, TO, IN, IT, IS, BE, AS, AT, SO, WE, HE, BY, OR, ON, DO, IF and MY.
• Three-letter words. THE is the most common word in English. Others you will meet often are AND, FOR, ARE, BUT, NOT, YOU and ALL. If a three-letter coded word appears several times, try THE.
• Apostrophes. They are not coded. A single coded letter after an apostrophe is almost always S, T, D or M, as in it’s, don’t, I’d and I’m. Two letters after one are often LL, RE or VE.
• Double letters. The commonest are LL, EE, SS, OO and TT. A coded word with a double letter is worth trying with one of these.
• Endings. ING, ED, ER and LY end very many words. A long coded word ending in three letters may well end in ING.
• Repeated words. A short coded word that appears more than once is probably a small, common word.

When you are stuck

• Use the rule that no letter stands for itself. A coded Q can never be Q, which cuts out many wrong guesses.
• Press Hint. The first press highlights a coded letter that is one of the most common in the saying, and the second press reveals it.
• If you give two different coded letters the same guess, both squares get a dashed outline, so you can spot the muddle early. Undo and Erase are always there.
• Start from a different place. Work on a short word you have not tried yet.

Common mistakes

• Holding on to an early guess after it stops making words. If three words go wrong, go back.
• Assuming the most common coded letter must be E.
• Forgetting that a real letter has only one code. Once T is placed, no other coded letter can be T.
• Ignoring punctuation. A comma or a full stop shows exactly where a word ends.

Cryptograms come in five themes. Try proverbs and country wisdom if you want familiar sayings, which are easiest to recognise.

Prefer paper? free printable cryptograms are ready to print.

More guides

Keep going with how to solve Sudoku, how to solve crossword puzzles, and word search tips. Or browse all the puzzle guides.