Cryptogram vs Cryptoquote vs Cryptoquip: How They Differ

You finished the newspaper puzzle page, went looking for more, and found three names for what looks like the same thing. Some sites call them cryptograms, the paper calls one a Cryptoquote, and the puzzle beside it is a Cryptoquip with a clue printed underneath.

They are close cousins. This guide gives you one clear definition for each, a comparison table, how each one is built, and practice sheets you can play at the top of this page and print.

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What Is the Difference Between a Cryptogram and a Cryptoquote?

Every cryptoquote is a cryptogram, but not every cryptogram is a cryptoquote. A cryptogram can hide any sentence, while a cryptoquote always hides a quotation, usually followed by the speaker's name, which gives solvers an extra foothold when they recognize the author.

Cryptoquote and Cryptoquip are the names of daily newspaper features distributed by King Features Syndicate, so they are brand names more than general terms. When people say "cryptoquote" casually, they usually mean any quotation cryptogram.

The last two names come from the American Cryptogram Association, a hobby group whose journal has run cipher puzzles for decades. Its members sort simple substitution puzzles by whether the word breaks survive, which is the single biggest factor in how hard one feels.

What Is a Cryptoquip?

A cryptoquip is a substitution cipher that hides a pun or silly question-and-answer joke, with one letter revealed underneath, such as "G equals R." That clue changes the opening completely: instead of hunting for a foothold, you are handed one.

The pun helps too. Once you decode half the setup, the punchline tends to suggest itself, which makes the second half faster than a quotation of the same length.

How Is Each Puzzle Built?

All three are built with the same recipe: pick a text, scramble the alphabet so every letter stands in for a different one, and apply that key to every letter. Only the text and the clues change between them.

1. Choose the text: any sentence for a cryptogram, a quotation and author for a cryptoquote, a pun for a cryptoquip.
2. Build a cipher key that maps each letter to a different letter, making sure no letter stands for itself.
3. Replace every letter in the text with its code letter, keeping spaces and punctuation in place.
4. Decide on clues: none, one letter as in a cryptoquip, or a few letters for beginners.
5. Print the coded text with blanks above each letter, and keep the answer key separate.

The free PuzzlePage cryptogram maker follows exactly this process. It builds a key where no letter maps to itself, keeps word spaces (Aristocrat style), and lets you pick Easy (3 letters revealed), Medium (1 letter revealed, like a cryptoquip) or Hard (none revealed).

Which Type Is Easiest for Beginners?

Cryptoquips are usually the gentlest start because of the clue letter, followed by cryptoquotes, where a recognizable author helps. Plain cryptograms with no clue and Patristocrats with no word spaces are the hardest.

The companion sheet at the top of this page mixes the styles: two public-domain quotations with their authors, two puns, and one plain sentence. Every message on the sheet shares one cipher key, so each line you crack gives you letters for the next.

How Do You Make Your Own Cryptoquote or Cryptoquip?

Make one of each: a quotation with its author for the cryptoquote, and a pun you write yourself for the cryptoquip. Pick the quotation from a work published before 1931 so it is in the public domain in the US.

1. Open the cryptogram maker, or use the live maker at the bottom of this page.
2. Type a quotation and author on one line, and your pun on the next.
3. Choose Medium for a cryptoquip feel, or Easy for younger solvers.
4. Download the PDF; the answer key prints on its own page.

If you like word puzzles with a daily rhythm, the free Connections game and daily Sudoku further down this page scratch the same itch. For a gentler warm-up, a word scramble practices the same pattern-spotting with no cipher at all.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a cryptoquote the same as a cryptogram?

A cryptoquote is one kind of cryptogram. Every cryptogram hides text with a letter-substitution cipher, and a cryptoquote specifically hides a quotation, usually followed by the name of the person who said it.

What is the difference between a cryptoquote and a cryptoquip?

A cryptoquote hides a quotation and gives no clue letters. A cryptoquip hides a pun or joke and prints one decoded letter underneath to help you start.

Are cryptograms, cryptoquotes and cryptoquips solved the same way?

Yes. All three use a simple substitution cipher, so the same strategies work: look for one-letter words, common short words like THE and AND, doubled letters and apostrophes.

Can I make my own cryptoquote puzzle?

Yes. Type any quotation into the free PuzzlePage cryptogram maker, choose how many letters to reveal, and download a printable PDF with a separate answer key page.