cipher

[ˈsaɪfɚ]

[ˈsaɪfə]

[ˈsaɪfɚ]

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A cipher is a code or a secret writing system that people use to send messages without being understood by others.

When we talk about ciphers, we often think of ancient mysteries and spies trying to crack codes. But actually, ciphers are used all around us in everyday life. For example, when you're online shopping, you might see a "password reset" link that asks for your username and password – the characters you type are like a cipher that only works if you enter them correctly. The same goes for secret words or numbers that parents give their kids to access special accounts or services. In these cases, the passwords act as ciphers that protect personal information from being accessed by others.

How common is "cipher"?

Word cipher is considered rare in modern English.
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.

Definitions

noun

A numeric character.
Any text character.
A combination or interweaving of letters, as the initials of a name; a device; a monogram.
Example: a painter's cipher, an engraver's cipher, etc.
A method of transforming a text in order to conceal its meaning.
Example: The message was written in a simple cipher. Anyone could figure it out.
A cryptographic system using an algorithm that converts letters or sequences of bits into ciphertext.
Ciphertext; a message concealed via a cipher.
Example: The message is clearly a cipher, but I can't figure it out.
A grouping of three digits in a number, especially when delimited by commas or periods:
Example: The probability is 1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000 — a number having five ciphers of zeros.
A fault in an organ valve which causes a pipe to sound continuously without the key having been pressed.
A hip-hop jam session.
The path (usually circular) shared cannabis takes through a group, an occasion of cannabis smoking.
Someone or something of no importance.
Zero.