act of writing in code or cipher
"Before sharing her secret recipe, she spent an hour coding it into a series of seemingly random numbers to keep prying eyes away."
The process of encoding or decoding.
"Before we can decode that encrypted message, I need to run it through a special coding algorithm first."
In plain English: Coding is writing instructions for computers to follow so they can do specific tasks.
"Learning coding was the first step to becoming a software developer."
Usage: As a noun in everyday language, coding refers to writing computer programs using specific languages rather than the technical process of encryption. Use it when discussing software development, not when describing secret message transmission.
present participle of code
"The team spent the morning coding a new feature before the deadline arrived."
In plain English: Coding is writing instructions for a computer to follow so it can do specific tasks.
"My brother is coding a new video game for his birthday present."
Usage: As a verb, coding means writing computer programs using a specific programming language to create software or applications. You use it when describing the act of translating human instructions into machine-readable syntax rather than referring to disguising information.
The word coding comes from combining the noun code with the suffix -ing to describe the action of writing computer programs. It entered English as a straightforward formation that directly reflects its current meaning of creating software instructions.