I am new to cryptograms and I suck. Tips?

[toothache]

Really just the title haha. I have been having a ton of fun since I discovered this site, however, I am not good at solving cryptograms (yet). I want to improve but every post I’ve seen asking about how to improve times is for people who are already really fast at cryptograms. I have looked into the “how to” to solve them so I do have an understanding of what to do but it is still pretty challenging and takes me a hot second. So any advice for a beginner?

[oddcouple]

Have fun. But it sounds like you are already doing that. So just be patient. The longer one plays, the faster one gets. I've had a few hundred 10 second solves, but I've been doing it for 10 years. I assume you know about letter frequencies and things like that. So look for patterns. It help a lots.

[LLapp]

Toothache . . . When I'm not in the "zone" and my head is foggy, all I can do is just look for the single-letter A's or I's and then I try to find a "THE" in the quote. And if those two steps don't get me anywhere, I quit the quote and try another one. I think this would be a perfectly fine way for a total beginner to practice -- just keep plugging away with the single-letter words and then look for the "THE," and see if that gets you anywhere. Because the more you do just those two steps, the more likely you will be, at some point, to start noticing a few letter patterns that work, and that is the key to the game.

A few very common word and letter patterns to start with:
- Opening words: "There is", "There are", "It is", and "He who".
- The letter pattern for "THAT" -- it's not always "THAT" but most of the time it is.
- After a comma, try either "AND" or "BUT".

Definitely make sure you are NOT in competitive mode, so you can ask for hints. Hints can be like training wheels while you practice. To opt out of competitive mode, click on your username at top-right on the screen, and select "User settings."

Just have fun! Rest assured that you will one day achieve full addiction level like the rest of us.

[LLapp]

Also, oddcouple mentioned letter frequencies, which are really important. Just in case you didn’t know: the little number that appears under each code letter in a cryptogram indicates the number of times that letter appears in the puzzle. Generally, you can find the word “the“ by looking for a three letter word with high-frequency letters in the first and third spots and a low-frequency letter in the middle. (And if that word is not “the,” then try “our” or “out.”)