Playfair cipher

noun

A manual symmetric encryption technique that encrypts pairs of letters (digraphs).

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounPlayfair cipher (plural Playfair ciphers)

plural Playfair ciphers

  1. A manual symmetric encryption technique that encrypts pairs of letters (digraphs).

Origin

Named after Lord Playfair, who promoted it. (It was invented in 1854 by Charles Wheatstone.)

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Playfair cipher. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Playfair%20cipher

MLA

“Playfair cipher.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Playfair%20cipher. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Playfair cipher,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Playfair%20cipher.

Source: Playfair cipher on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.