substitution cipher

noun

A method of encryption by which units of plaintext are substituted with ciphertext according to a regular system; the "units" may be single letters (the most common), pairs of letters, triplets of letters, mixtures of the above, and so forth. The receiver deciphers the text by performing an inverse substitution.

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Meanings

nounsubstitution cipher (plural substitution ciphers)

plural substitution ciphers

  1. computingA method of encryption by which units of plaintext are substituted with ciphertext according to a regular system; the "units" may be single letters (the most common), pairs of letters, triplets of letters, mixtures of the above, and so forth. The receiver deciphers the text by performing an inverse substitution.
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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