Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Cryptoquote Resources and Solving Tips

Cryptoquotes are those puzzles you can find in your daily newspaper or puzzle books all over the place. They are fun, help keep the mind sharp and with a few hints are not so impossible to do.
A cryptoquote (or cryptogram) is a coded phrase made by substituting an alternate letter for each letter of the alphabet.
General Hints..
  • Single letter words are 'A' or 'I"
  • In a two letter word, one is a vowel.
  • Double letter frequency: LL,EE,SS,TT,OO,MM,FF,PP,RR,NN,CC,DD
  • Digraph Frequency: th,he,in,er,an,re,on,en,at,es,ed,te,ti,or,st,ar,nd,to,nt,is,of,it,al,as,ha,ng,co,se,me,de
  • Digraph reversals: er-re,es-se,an-na,it-ti,on-no,en-ne,ot-to,ed-de,st-ts,at-ta,ar-ra,in-ni
  • Most common two letter words:of to in it is be as at so we he by or on do if me my up an go no us am
  • Most common three letter words: the and for are but not you all any can had her was one our out day get has him his how man new now old see two way who boy did its let put say she too use
  • Most common four letter words: that with have this will your from they know want been good much some time very when come here just like long make many more only over such take than them well were
  • 100 most frequently used words: about after all am an and are as at back be because been big but by came can come could day did do down first for from get go going got had has have he her here him his I if in into is it just like little look made make me more my no not now of off on one only or our out over said saw see she so some that the their them then there they this to two up very was we well went were what when where which who will with would you your
  • A question mark at the end often means the sentence starts with WHO,WHAT,WHEN or WHERE.
  • Frequent suffixes are: -AL,-ABLE, -ANT,-ATIVE,-ED,-EN,-ENS,-ENT,-EOUS ,-ER,-ERS,-EST,-FUL,-IAL,-IE,-ILY,-ING,-ION,-ITIVE,-ITY,-IVE,-LESS,-LY,-MENT,-NESS,-OUS,-TION,-TY
  • Common prefixes are: ANTI-,CO-,CON,-COM,-DE-,DIS-,EM-,EN-,FORE-,IN-,IM-,IL-,IR-,INTER-,MID-,MIS-,NON-,OVER-,PRE-,RE-,SEMI-,SUB-,SUPER-,TRANS-,UN-,UNDER-
  • Look for common authors for quotes: anonymous, source unknown
Look For Common patterns in words.
  • aXX all,fee,ill,too
  • abXX bill,hill,free,see,till,toll,tree
  • XabX else,says,that
  • abXcX where












3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I haven't been able to view the cryptoquote for the past two days. In the space where it normally appears is a large grey box with a red "x" in the upper left-hand corner. I hope this problem is temporary.

Patricia Burke Johnson said...

I'm having the same problem, Anonymous. Good luck.

Unknown said...

There's a really nice new site that has 10 new cryptoquotes daily.

You can play them online or print them and solve them later.

http://www.BestCryptoquotes.com