Cryptogram Puzzle 1,646
Answers

Decoded in full, attributed to Oskar Schindler.

Letter frequency for cryptogram 1646: E 7, I 5, N 4, O 4, T 4, W 4, A 3, D 2, H 2, L 2, R 2, S 27E5I4N4O4T4W3A2D2H2L2R2S
The decoded quote:
“Power is when we have every justification to kill, and we don’t.”
— Oskar Schindler

Cryptogram Puzzle 1,646 decodes to a quotation of 12 words attributed to Oskar Schindler. It runs to 66 characters and uses 20 distinct letters.

The chart above shows the real letter frequencies of this quote — E×7, I×5, N×4, O×4, T×4. That is the pattern that cracks it: in ordinary English E is the commonest letter by a wide margin, so whichever cipher symbol appears most in the puzzle is the first substitution worth testing. We publish the decoded quote and its author; the game generates its own substitution alphabet per player, so no fixed cipher is shown here.

This quote contains 5 short words of three letters or fewer, which are the other obvious way in — one-letter words are always A or I, and the commonest three-letter word by a wide margin is THE. Fixing one of those typically reveals enough of the text to read the rest.

This puzzle sits in the 1,601–1,700 block, with puzzle 1,645 and puzzle 1,647 linked at the foot of the page, so you can keep moving without returning to the index.

Puzzle 1,646 at a glance
AuthorOskar Schindler
Characters66
Words12
Distinct letters20
Most frequentE×7 I×5 N×4
Questions

Cryptogram Puzzle 1,646 FAQ

1What is the answer to Cryptogram Puzzle 1,646?+
The decoded quotation is shown in full above, together with the author it is attributed to.
2How many answers does this level have?+
0, all listed on this page.
3Where do I go next?+
Use the links at the foot of the page for puzzle 1,645 and puzzle 1,647, or browse the whole 1,601–1,700 block.
4Are these answers verified?+
Yes. This puzzle was imported from a structured source record and validated on build. See the method page for exactly what is checked.
How to play

How Cryptogram Works

The same three moves solve most Cryptogram puzzles, including this one.

1

Count the letters

The most frequent symbol is usually E, then T, A, O and N. Frequency beats guessing every time.

2

Attack the short words

One-letter words are A or I. Common three-letter words are THE and AND, and they unlock the most letters at once.

3

Use the apostrophes

A letter after an apostrophe is almost always S, T, D, M, LL, RE or VE — a very short list to test.

Play smarter

Cryptogram Tips & Strategy

Starting with what this particular puzzle teaches you.

1

Most frequent letter here

In this quote the commonest letters are E×7, I×5, N×4. In English E leads by a wide margin, so test that substitution first.

2

It has 5 short words

Short words are the fastest way in — one-letter words are always A or I, and the commonest three-letter word is THE.

3

Frequency first

Count which cipher letter appears most. In English text it is E far more often than not, and fixing E alone usually reveals two or three short words.

4

One-letter words are A or I

There are no others in ordinary English. Two free letters from a single glance at the text.

5

THE is the giveaway

The commonest three-letter word by a wide margin. Finding one THE gives you T, H and E in a single move.

6

Apostrophes narrow sharply

A letter directly after an apostrophe is nearly always S, T, D or M, or the pairs LL, RE and VE. Very few options to test.

By the numbers

Cryptogram Puzzle 1,646 In Detail

Everything recorded for this puzzle, counted from its source record.

AuthorOskar Schindler
Characters66
Words12
Distinct letters20
Short words5
Puzzle1,646