cifra
“cifra” means “digit” in Spanish. It has 3 different meanings depending on context:
digit
Also: number
📝 In Action
El código de seguridad tiene cuatro cifras.
A2The security code has four digits.
Escribe la cifra claramente en el papel.
A1Write the digit clearly on the paper.
No puedo leer la última cifra de tu teléfono.
B1I can't read the last digit of your phone number.
figure
Also: amount, sum
📝 In Action
Las cifras de ventas son mejores este año.
B1The sales figures are better this year.
La cifra total de asistentes fue de mil personas.
B2The total number of attendees was one thousand people.
El gobierno publicó las cifras del desempleo.
C1The government published the unemployment figures.
cipher
Also: code
📝 In Action
El mensaje secreto estaba escrito en cifra.
C1The secret message was written in cipher.
Los espías utilizaban una cifra compleja.
C2The spies used a complex code.
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: cifra
Question 1 of 3
If your PIN is 1234, how many 'cifras' does it have?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Arabic word 'sifr', which means 'zero' or 'empty'. It entered Spanish through medieval mathematical texts.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'cifra' the same as 'número'?
Not exactly. 'Cifra' refers to the symbol (0-9), while 'número' refers to the concept of the amount. However, in statistics, they are often used interchangeably.
Does 'cifra' mean 'a lot'?
Not on its own, but you might hear 'una cifra astronómica' to mean an incredibly large amount of money or things.
Can I use 'cifra' to describe a person's body shape?
No. English uses 'figure' for this, but Spanish uses 'figura' or 'silueta'. 'Cifra' is strictly for numbers or codes.