# Playfair cipher

> English word · Noun

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

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

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/playfair-cipher