cipher
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A method of transforming a text to conceal its meaning.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
syferSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsaɪfɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A method of transforming a text in order to conceal its meaning.
A combination or interweaving of letters, as the initials of a name.
Someone or something of no importance.
Any text character.
A numeric character.
cryptography
A cryptographic system using an algorithm that converts letters or sequences of bits into ciphertext.
verb
intransitive
To write in code or cipher.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A method of transforming a text in order to conceal its meaning.
Used this way, cipher is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.