A cryptogram is a type of puzzle that consists of a short piece of encrypted text. Generally the

cipher In cryptography, a cipher (or cypher) is an algorithm for performing encryption or decryption—a series of well-defined steps that can be followed as a procedure. An alternative, less common term is ''encipherment''. To encipher or encode i ...

used to encrypt the text is simple enough that the cryptogram can be solved by hand.

Substitution cipher In cryptography, a substitution cipher is a method of encrypting in which units of plaintext are replaced with the ciphertext, in a defined manner, with the help of a key; the "units" may be single letters (the most common), pairs of letters, t ...

s where each letter is replaced by a different letter, number, or symbol are frequently used. To solve the puzzle, one must recover the original lettering. Though once used in more serious applications, they are now mainly printed for entertainment in newspapers and magazines. Other types of classical ciphers are sometimes used to create cryptograms. An example is the book cipher, where a book or article is used to encrypt a message.

History

The ciphers used in cryptograms were created not for entertainment purposes, but for real encryption of military or personal secrets. The first use of the cryptogram for entertainment purposes occurred during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

by monks who had spare time for intellectual games. A manuscript found at

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia district in Bavaria, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main (river), Main. Bamberg had 79,000 inhabitants in ...

states that Irish visitors to the court of Merfyn Frych ap Gwriad (died 844), king of

Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, were given a cryptogram which could only be solved by transposing the letters from Latin into Greek. Around the thirteenth century, the English monk

Roger Bacon Roger Bacon (; or ', also '' Rogerus''; ), also known by the Scholastic accolades, scholastic accolade ''Doctor Mirabilis'', was a medieval English polymath, philosopher, scientist, theologian and Franciscans, Franciscan friar who placed co ...

wrote a book in which he listed seven cipher methods, and stated that "a man is crazy who writes a secret in any other way than one which will conceal it from the vulgar." In the 19th century

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

helped to popularize cryptograms with many newspaper and magazine articles. Well-known examples of cryptograms in contemporary culture are the syndicated newspaper puzzles Cryptoquip and Cryptoquote, from King Features. Celebrity Cipher, distributed by Andrew McMeel, is another cipher game in contemporary culture, challenging the player to decrypt quotes from famous personalities. A cryptoquip is a specific type of cryptogram that usually comes with a clue or a pun. The solution often involves a humorous or witty phrase. In a public challenge, writer J.M. Appel announced on September 28, 2014, that the table of contents page of his short story collection, ''Scouting for the Reaper'', doubled as a cryptogram, and he pledged an award for the first to solve it.

Solving a cryptogram

Cryptograms based on substitution ciphers can often be solved by frequency analysis and by recognizing letter patterns in words, such as one-letter words, which, in English, can only be "i" or "a" (and sometimes "o"). Double letters, apostrophes, and the fact that no letter can substitute for itself in the cipher also offer clues to the solution. Occasionally, cryptogram puzzle makers will start the solver off with a few letters. A printed code key form (the alphabet with a blank under each letter to fill in the substituted letter) is usually not provided but can be drawn to use as a solving aid if needed. Skilled puzzle solvers should require neither a code key form nor starter clue letters.

Other crypto puzzles

While the cryptogram has remained popular, over time other puzzles similar to it have emerged. One of these is the Cryptoquote, which is a famous quote encrypted in the same way as a cryptogram. A more recent version, with a biblical twist, is CodedWord. This puzzle makes the solution available only online, where it provides a short exegesis on the biblical text. A third is the Cryptoquiz. The top of this puzzle has a category (unencrypted), such as "Flowers". Below this is a list of encrypted words which are related to the stated category. The person must then solve for the entire list to finish the puzzle. Yet another type involves using numbers as they relate to texting to solve the puzzle. The Zodiac Killer sent four cryptograms to police while he was still active. Despite much research, only two of these have been translated, which was of no help in identifying the serial killer.

References

{{Authority control History of cryptography Word puzzles

History

Solving a cryptogram

Other crypto puzzles

See also

References