How to Pronounce Cipher

To pronounce "cipher", say CIPH-er — 2 syllables, IPA /ˈsaɪfɚ/. Tap play below to hear it in four English accents, or practice it syllable by syllable.

cipher

Tap to hear · American accent

Accent

If an accent sounds the same, your device is missing that voice — it falls back to the closest one.

Speed

Syllable by syllable — tap each one

Practice: Record & Compare

Record yourself saying cipher, then compare with the target. Your audio stays on this device — nothing is uploaded.

2

Syllables

6

Letters

/ˈsaɪfɚ/

IPA

💡 Tip for remembering “cipher”

"cipher" has 2 syllables: ciph-er. It rhymes with decipher and cypher, if that helps it stick.

Sounds exactly like: cypher, seifer — easy to mix up when writing.

What does cipher mean?

noun

  1. A numeric character.
  2. Any text character.

verb

  1. To calculate.

    “I never learned much more than how to read and cipher.”

  2. To write in code or cipher.

Synonyms

monogramcodenumbernumeralnaughtnothingnoughtoh

Hear “cipher” in real sentences

Real example sentences from Tatoeba (CC-BY) — tap to hear each one, or see it used on YouGlish.

Words that rhyme with cipher

Practicing rhymes trains the same ending sounds.

deciphercypherheiferliferkniferkiferseiferfiferleiferpeifer

Related words

cyphercryptographencipherencryptencodecodecomputecalculate

Frequently asked questions

How many syllables are in "cipher"?▾

"Cipher" has 2 syllables: ciph · er.

What is the IPA transcription of "cipher"?▾

The IPA transcription of "cipher" is /ˈsaɪfɚ/.

What does "cipher" mean?▾

Cipher: A numeric character.

Want the definition, translations into 8 languages, and read-aloud for full sentences?

Open “cipher” in the full dictionary →