How to Solve Cryptograms

Start fresh. On a blank piece of paper, copy the cryptogram carefully. Leave room between the lines for writing possible solution above the letters.

Find the most frequent letter. That letter will usually stand for an E. Write an e above the most frequent letter. For example, if Q appears as the most frequent letter, write E above each Q.

Look for short words. Words that have two or three letters usually hold the key to the puzzle. If Q has been determined as E, then the cryptogram word "RGQ" may be "THE," where R represents T, G represents H and Q represent E. Write T and H above all the R's and G's.

Search for single letter words. A single letter word in English is either A or I. Determine which letter it will be by looking at other words. For example, if there is a single word "P," and later there is a word "RGPR," the R is a T, the G is an H, making the word "TH?T." P would be A, making "RGPR" the word "THAT."

Observe punctuation. Apostrophes toward the end of the word indicate a possessive word, such as "cat's," or a contraction, such as "can't," "that's," "we'd" or "I'm." Therefore a single letter following an apostrophe must be an S, T or D. If there are two letters after the apostrophe, those letters may represent VE, as in "they've."

Check for patterns. If a word ends in "IN?," it is possible the last letter is a G. The "-ing" ending is a popular verb ending, and may appear several times in a cryptogram.

Watch the big picture. Do not concentrate only on the individual letter or words, look for the whole phrase. Sayings in the cryptogram puzzles are usually popular sayings or quotes. As words begin to emerge, see if the phrase is a familiar one. Recognizing the phrase greatly speeds the solution.