Cryptogram Puzzle 879
Answers

Decoded in full, attributed to Mahatma Gandhi.

Letter frequency for cryptogram 879: E 26, T 19, O 17, I 15, N 14, A 13, R 13, S 12, H 10, Y 10, U 9, L 726E19T17O15I14N13A13R12S10H10Y9U7L
The decoded quote:
“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years. Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans. Don’t count the days, make the days count. Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
— Mahatma Gandhi

Cryptogram Puzzle 879 decodes to a quotation of 52 words attributed to Mahatma Gandhi. It runs to 268 characters and uses 22 distinct letters.

The chart above shows the real letter frequencies of this quote — E×26, T×19, O×17, I×15, N×14. 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 22 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 801–900 block, with puzzle 878 and puzzle 880 linked at the foot of the page, so you can keep moving without returning to the index.

Puzzle 879 at a glance
AuthorMahatma Gandhi
Characters268
Words52
Distinct letters22
Most frequentE×26 T×19 O×17
Questions

Cryptogram Puzzle 879 FAQ

1What is the answer to Cryptogram Puzzle 879?+
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 878 and puzzle 880, or browse the whole 801–900 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×26, T×19, O×17. In English E leads by a wide margin, so test that substitution first.

2

It has 22 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 879 In Detail

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

AuthorMahatma Gandhi
Characters268
Words52
Distinct letters22
Short words22
Puzzle879