Cryptogram Letter Frequency Tips
How to use letter frequency analysis to solve cryptograms faster. Includes the full English letter frequency chart and practical examples.
Letter frequency is the secret weapon of cryptogram solving. English does not use letters evenly. Some show up a lot. Some barely at all. Knowing the pattern cuts your guess time in half.
The English letter frequency chart
The 12 most common letters in English are E, T, A, O, I, N, S, H, R, D, L, U. In that order. E is the king. It shows up in about 12% of all letters in a typical English text. T comes next at around 9%. Z, Q, X, and J are the rarest.
How to use letter frequency in a cryptogram
Count which coded letter shows up most. There is a strong chance it stands for E. Count the second most. That is likely T or A. If a coded letter shows up 10 times in a short puzzle, it is almost always E.
This is the first move pros make. Before they look at words. Before they check apostrophes. They count letters.
Letter frequency at the start of words
Different letters lead words. T, A, S, and W start more words than they appear inside them. So if a coded letter starts many words but does not appear much in the middle, try T or A.
Letter frequency at the end of words
E, S, T, and D end most words. S because of plurals. D because of past tense. E because of silent E. If a coded letter ends many words, it is almost certainly E or S.
Double letters
The most common double letters in English are LL, SS, EE, OO, TT, FF, RR. If you see a double in a cryptogram, try those in that order. LL is the top guess.
Common letter pairs
Two-letter pairs (called digraphs) show up in patterns. The most common are TH, HE, IN, ER, AN, RE, ED, ON, ES, ST, EN, AT. If you see a pair show up many times, try TH first.
A short cryptogram solving routine
Step one: count the letters. The top letter is likely E. Step two: scan for short words. Solve "the" if you see a three-letter pattern. Step three: check apostrophes for T or S after them. Step four: fill in your solved letters everywhere and read what you have. Real words will pop.
This routine cracks most easy cryptograms in 3 minutes.