Cryptogram Puzzle 2,503
Answers

Decoded in full, attributed to Unknown.

Letter frequency for cryptogram 2503: E 23, O 19, T 18, H 17, A 12, R 12, S 12, L 7, B 6, I 6, N 6, U 623E19O18T17H12A12R12S7L6B6I6N6U
The decoded quote:
“There are many horrible sights in the multiverse. Somehow, though, to a soul attuned to the subtle rhythms of a library, there are few worse sights than a hole where a book ought to be. Someone had stolen a book.”
— Unknown

Cryptogram Puzzle 2,503 decodes to a quotation of 40 words attributed to Unknown. It runs to 212 characters and uses 20 distinct letters.

The chart above shows the real letter frequencies of this quote — E×23, O×19, T×18, H×17, A×12. 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 17 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 2,501–2,600 block, with puzzle 2,502 and puzzle 2,504 linked at the foot of the page, so you can keep moving without returning to the index.

Puzzle 2,503 at a glance
AuthorUnknown
Characters212
Words40
Distinct letters20
Most frequentE×23 O×19 T×18
Questions

Cryptogram Puzzle 2,503 FAQ

1What is the answer to Cryptogram Puzzle 2,503?+
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 2,502 and puzzle 2,504, or browse the whole 2,501–2,600 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×23, O×19, T×18. In English E leads by a wide margin, so test that substitution first.

2

It has 17 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 2,503 In Detail

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

AuthorUnknown
Characters212
Words40
Distinct letters20
Short words17
Puzzle2,503