encode vs cypher

encode is not a noun while cypher is a noun.

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

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

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

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