How to solve a cryptogram

A cryptogram is a quote in which every letter has been swapped for another, the same way all the way through. If Q stands for A once, it stands for A everywhere. Here is a short one to practice on:

Q WOKR OF ZIT IQFR OL VGKZI ZVG OF ZIT WXLI.

1. Start with one-letter words

A word of one letter is almost always A or I. In the example, Q opens the sentence alone, so it is probably A.

2. Look for THE and AND

THE is the most common word in English. A three-letter code word that appears twice, like ZIT above, is a strong guess for it. That gives you T, H and E at once.

3. Use apostrophes

A single letter after an apostrophe is usually S or T (it's, don't), and two letters are often LL, RE or VE.

4. Spot double letters

Two of the same code letter side by side are most often LL, EE, SS, OO or TT.

5. Count the code letters

In English, E, T, A, O, I and N are the most frequent letters. The code letter that shows up most often is a good guess for one of them, though short quotes don't always follow the rule.

6. Fill in, then read aloud

With A, T, H and E placed, the example reads A ____ __ THE HA__ __ ___TH T__ __ THE ___H. Say it aloud: "a ... in the hand ... worth two in the bush" is a proverb you know.

7. No letter stands for itself

In a cryptogram, a code letter never means the same letter. If the code shows R, the answer there is anything but R.

Next, keep a list of common cryptogram words beside you, warm up on easy cryptograms with letters filled in, or read what a cryptogram is and where the puzzle comes from.