Elementary cryptanalysis

by Helen Fouché Gaines

Yardley, Herbert Osborne (Major). The American Black Chamber. Indianapolis and London, 1931. Reprinted, New York, 1933, London, 1934.

THE COMMONEST ENGLISH WORDS

Below are listed the hundred most frequently used words in English. The figures give occurrences in 242,432 words of English text taken from fifteen English authors and many newspapers. Compiled by Frank R. Fraprie, after the rest of the book had been completed.

THE	15568	OR	1101	WHEN	603	ONLY	309
OF	9767	HER	1093	WHAT	570	ANY	302
AND	7638	HAD	1062	YOUR	533	THEN	298
TO	5739	AT	1053	MORE	523	ABOUT	294
A	5074	FROM	1039	WOULD	516	THOSE	288
IN	4312	THIS	1021	THEM	498	CAN	285
THAT	3017	MY	963	SOME	478	MADE	284
IS	2509	THEY	959	THAN	445	WELL	283
I	2292	ALL	881	MAY	441	OLD	282
IT	2255	THEIR	824	UPON	430	MUST	280
FOR	1869	AN	789	ITS	425	US	279
AS	1853	SHE	775	OUT	387	SAID	276
WITH	1849	HAS	753	INTO	387	TIME	273
WAS	1761	WERE	752	OUR	386	EVEN	272
HIS	1732	ME	745	THESE	385	NEW	265
HE	1727	BEEN	720	MAN	383	COULD	264
BE	1535	HIM	708	UP	369	VERY	259
NOT	1496	ONE	700	DO	360	MUCH	252
BY	1392	SO	696	LIKE	354	OWN	251
BUT	1379	IF	684	SHALL	351	MOST	251
HAVE	1344	WILL	680	GREAT	340	MIGHT	250
YOU	1336	THERE	668	NOW	331	FIRST	249
WHICH	1291	WHO	664	SUCH	328	AFTER	247
ARE	1222	NO	658	SHOULD	327	YET	247
ON	1155	WE	638	OTHER	320	TWO	244

ENGLISH TRIGRAMS

The ninety-eight most frequent English trigrams, combining a count of 20,000 trigrams by Fletcher Pratt, in “Secret and Urgent,” supposed not to include overlaps between words, and 5,000 by Frank R. Fraprie, including overlaps. This table and the following one are not referred to in the text, having been compiled since the completion of the book.

THE	1182		HER	170		HIS	130		ITH	111
ING	356		ATE	165		RES	125		TED	110
AND	284		VER	159		ILL	118		AIN	108
ION	252		TER	157		ARE	117		EST	106
ENT	246		THA	155		CON	114		MAN	101
FOR	191		ATI	148		NCE	113		RED	101
TIO	188		HAT	138		ALL	111		THI	100
ERE	173		ERS	135		EVE	111		IVE	96

REA	95		INE	73		ORE	65		ART	58
WIT	93		WHI	71		BUT	64		NTE	58
ONS	92		OVE	71		OUT	63		RAT	58
ESS	90		TIN	71		URE	63		TUR	58
AVE	84		AST	70		STR	62		ICA	57
PER	84		DER	70		TIC	62		ICH	57
ECT	83		OUS	70		AME	61		NDE	57
ONE	83		ROM	70		COM	61		PRE	57
UND	83		VEN	70		OUR	61		ENC	56
INT	80		ARD	69		WER	61		HAS	56
ANT	79		EAR	69		OME	60		WHE	55
HOU	77		DIN	68		EEN	59		WIL	55
MEN	76		STI	68		LAR	59		ERA	54
WAS	76		NOT	67		LES	59		LIN	54
OUN	75		ORT	67		SAN	59		TRA	54
PRO	75		THO	66		STE	59
STA	75		DAY	65		ANY	58