decipher
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decipher
- /dɪˈsaɪfə(ɹ)/ UK
Rhymes with -aɪfə(ɹ)
Where it 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.
verb deciphers · deciphering · deciphered · decypher
-
To convert a code or cipher to plain text.
Similar: decode, decrypt, uncode · Opposite: encipher, encode, encrypt
- To read text that is almost illegible or obscure.
- To make sense of a complex situation. Truly, we need human infirmity to teach us human nature, and that to Louis had been as a sealed book; he had only seen the coloured and gilded outside: too late he had to decipher the rough and gloomy page within.
-
To find a solution to a problem.
Similar: resolve, unriddle, work out, absolve, decipher, get to the bottom of, iron out, meliorate, cure, puzzle out, ravel, reason out
noun deciphers · decypher
- A decipherment; a decoding. I enclose a letter which I received yesterday evening from the Marques de Monsalud, containing the decipher of a letter from the King to the Comte d'Erlon. I wish that the Marques had sent the ciphered letter here […]
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: decode, decrypt, read, interpret, determine, explain, understand, unlock, unravel, break, crack, decypher, uncipher, cipher, undecipher, descramble
Translations
Every language
verb to decode or decrypt a code or cipher
| Español | descifrar, decodificar |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 해독(解讀)하다 haedokhada |
| 日本語 | 解読する kaidoku suru |
| 中文 | 解碼 /解码 jiěmǎ, 解讀 /解读 jiědú |
| Português | decifrar |
| Français | déchiffrer |
| Deutsch | dechiffrieren, entschlüsseln |
| Ελληνικά | αποκρυπτογραφώ apokryptografó |
| Русский | расшифро́вывать rasšifróvyvatʹ, расшифрова́ть rasšifrovátʹ |
| العربية | فَكَّ تَّعْمِيَة fakka taʕmiya, فَكَّ مُعَمَّى fakka muʕammā, فَكَّ شِّيفْرَة fakka šīfra |
| עברית | פענח pi'néakh |
verb to read illegible or obscure text
| Español | descifrar, interpretar |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | entziffern |
| Ελληνικά | αποκρυπτογραφώ apokryptografó |
| Русский | разбирать |
verb to find a solution
| Español | resolver, descifrar |
|---|---|
| Português | decifrar, resolver |
| Deutsch | entschlüsseln |
Talk about this word "decipher." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/decipher. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. decipher. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/decipher "decipher." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/decipher.Cite this
@misc{decipher_2026,
title = {decipher},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/decipher},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
