Cryptogram Quotes

“The first step was usually very simple: count the letters in the cryptogram. In English, the most frequently used letter is E, the most frequent two-letter group is TH, and the most fre-quent three-letter group is THE. So if you count the letters in the ciphertext and the most common letter is B, it might stand for E, and if the most common three-letter group is NXB, it might stand for THE.

You can count other things in a cryptogram, like the total number of vowels and consonants, and how often particular let-ters or groups of letters appear before or after other letters. All of these counts give hints to the hidden structure. A frequency count can also reveal if the plaintext was written in English, German, French, Spanish, or some other language, because the frequency of letters in a language is like a unique signature. The most common six letters in German, starting with the most common, are E, N, I, R, T, S. In French, E, A, N, R, S, I. In Spanish, E, A, O, R, S, N.”
― Jason Fagone, The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine who Outwitted America's Enemies