Cryptogram Puzzle 880
Answers

Decoded in full, attributed to Harvey Mackay.

Letter frequency for cryptogram 880: T 15, E 14, I 10, O 10, C 8, N 8, U 8, S 7, A 6, Y 5, D 4, P 415T14E10I10O8C8N8U7S6A5Y4D4P
The decoded quote:
“Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going. Time is free but priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it wisely.”
— Harvey Mackay

Cryptogram Puzzle 880 decodes to a quotation of 34 words attributed to Harvey Mackay. It runs to 171 characters and uses 21 distinct letters.

The chart above shows the real letter frequencies of this quote — T×15, E×14, I×10, O×10, C×8. 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 19 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 879 and puzzle 881 linked at the foot of the page, so you can keep moving without returning to the index.

Puzzle 880 at a glance
AuthorHarvey Mackay
Characters171
Words34
Distinct letters21
Most frequentT×15 E×14 I×10
Questions

Cryptogram Puzzle 880 FAQ

1What is the answer to Cryptogram Puzzle 880?+
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 879 and puzzle 881, 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 T×15, E×14, I×10. In English E leads by a wide margin, so test that substitution first.

2

It has 19 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 880 In Detail

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

AuthorHarvey Mackay
Characters171
Words34
Distinct letters21
Short words19
Puzzle880