encode vs cipher

encode is not a noun while cipher is a noun.

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

As verbs, cipher is a hyponym of encode; that is, cipher is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than encode:

Other hyponyms of encode include code, cypher, encipher, encrypt, inscribe, write in code.

encode (noun)	cipher (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

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