Cryptogram

What is Cryptogram?

A cryptogram is the substitution puzzle that has filled a corner of the newspaper puzzle page for well over a century. A well-known saying is written in code: every letter has been swapped for another, and the swap holds all the way through, so wherever a real E stands, the same coded letter stands too. Your job is to break the code and read the sentence.

Every sentence here is a proverb or a common saying, the kind everyone has heard: Actions speak louder than words, Still waters run deep, A stitch in time saves nine. You can play with English, Romanian, German, French, Spanish or Italian sayings, and each language has its own list, written in that language rather than translated. There are three levels, and every day brings a Daily Cryptogram, the same for everyone, so times compare directly on the leaderboard.

How to play Cryptogram

Each letter of the sentence is a small cell: the coded letter sits underneath, and the letter you give it goes on top.

• Choosing a letter. Tap any coded letter. Every place it appears in the sentence lights up, and the cursor sits on the one you tapped.
• Writing a letter. Tap a letter on the keyboard or type it. It lands in every place that coded letter stands, and the cursor moves on to the next empty one. The arrow keys move the cursor, and backspace clears a letter.
• One letter, one place. A real letter can only hide behind one coded letter. If you give it to a second one, it moves there and the first one empties.
• Hints. A hint puts one letter right for good and adds 30 seconds. It first corrects a letter you got wrong; otherwise it opens the coded letter that appears most often.
• Checks. A check marks every wrong letter in red and adds 15 seconds. It needs at least one change since the last check.
• Letter counts. An optional strip shows how often each coded letter appears, most frequent first, beside the letters these sayings use most. It costs nothing.
• The score. Your score is your time plus the penalties. Lower is better.
• Levels. Easy deals the shorter sayings and shows a few letters to start with. Medium shows one letter, Hard none, with the longer sayings.
• Accents. The code works on plain letters, so É, Ä or Ș count as E, A and S. Letters you know for sure, and the whole sentence once it is solved, show their real spelling again.

Tips and strategy

1. Start with the short words. A coded word of one letter is almost always A or I in English. Two-letter words are usually OF, TO, IN, IS, IT or AN, and the most common three-letter word is THE.
2. Count the letters. In English, E is by far the most common letter, then T, O and A. Turn on the letter counts and try E on the coded letter you see most.
3. Look at the patterns. A word whose letters repeat, like the coded pattern of THAT or NEVER, can only be a handful of real words. Doubled letters are usually LL, EE, SS, OO or TT.
4. Think of the saying. Once a few words show through, the sentence is often one you know. Guessing the whole proverb is fair play and often the fastest way.
5. Keep checks for later. A check costs only 15 seconds, but it is worth most when the board is nearly full and you cannot see which letter is off.

Frequently asked questions

Is Cryptogram free?

Yes. Like every game on Play, it runs free in your browser, with no download and no account.

Can a letter stand for itself?

No. Every letter is replaced by a different one, so a coded A never hides a real A. That is a clue in itself.

Why do some letters already show?

On Easy a few letters are given at the start, and one on Medium. They are always right, they show their real spelling, and they cannot be changed. Letters you get from a hint behave the same way.

What happens when every letter is filled in but the sentence is wrong?

The line under the board says so. Look for a word that does not read, or use a check to see in red which letters are wrong.

Which languages can I play in?

English, Romanian, German, French, Spanish and Italian. Tap the language button next to the levels to switch; each language has its own sayings and its own Daily.

What is the Daily Cryptogram?

Every day everyone gets the same Medium cryptogram in their language, so the times on the leaderboard compare directly.