cypher vs encode

cypher is a noun but encode is not a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
cypher	Yes	No	Yes	No
encode	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, encode is a hypernym of cypher; that is, encode is a word with a broader meaning than cypher:

cypher (noun)	encode (noun)
a secret method of writing
a message written in a secret code
a person of no influence
a quantity of no importance; thing (object:), singular, negative pronoun; pronoun, thing, singular; quantifier: negative existential
a mathematical element that when added to another number yields the same number

cypher (verb)	encode (verb)
make a mathematical calculation or computation	convert information into code
convert ordinary language into code