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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

decipher.

To convert a code or cipher to plain text.

8 characters3 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

verb/dɪˈsaɪfə(ɹ)/UK
  1. To convert a code or cipher to plain text.

    transitive
  2. To read text that is almost illegible or obscure.

    transitive
  3. To make sense of a complex situation.

    transitive
  4. To find a solution to a problem.

    transitive
Where this word comes from

As decypher, but not retaining the y from the Old French etyma of cipher (cyfre, cyffre); the i spelling tends to be preferred etymologically, being consistent with its cognates, the French déchiffrer and the Italian decifrare, and with their common ancestor, the Medieval Latin cifra, cifera, ciphra. By surface analysis, de- + cipher.

noun/dɪˈsaɪfə(ɹ)/UK
  1. A decipherment; a decoding.

Where this word comes from

As decypher, but not retaining the y from the Old French etyma of cipher (cyfre, cyffre); the i spelling tends to be preferred etymologically, being consistent with its cognates, the French déchiffrer and the Italian decifrare, and with their common ancestor, the Medieval Latin cifra, cifera, ciphra. By surface analysis, de- + cipher.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.