Misplaced Pages

Leet: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 01:53, 11 January 2007 edit68.75.44.82 (talk)No edit summary← Previous edit Latest revision as of 05:07, 27 December 2024 edit undo67.209.130.73 (talk) See also: IDN homograph attackTags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit 
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Online slang and alternative orthography}}
{{Infobox WS
{{Other uses}}
|name=Leet<br>l33t, 1337
{{pp-move|small=yes}}
|type=Alternative
{{More citations needed|date=December 2023}}
|languages=], with some use in other languages
]]" sticker]]
|time=1980 to the present
|fam1=]<br>]<br> ] with influences from modern ] and ]
|sample=L337.PNG
|image_size=225px
}}
{{otheruse|this=the modification of text}}
Reki!=Leet


'''Leet''' (or "'''1337'''"), also known as '''eleet''' or '''leetspeak''', or simply '''hacker speech''', is a system of modified spellings used primarily on the ]. It often uses character replacements in ways that play on the similarity of their ]s via ] or other resemblance. Additionally, it modifies certain words on the basis of a system of ] and alternative meanings. There are many ] or ] in different ].
'''Leet''' (often written in Leet as '''1337''') is a ] ] used primarily on the ], ]. The term itself is derived from the word '']'', meaning “better than the rest,” and generally has the same meaning when referring to the ] skills of another person.


The term "leet" is derived from the word '']'', used as an adjective to describe skill or accomplishment, especially in the fields of ] and ]. The leet lexicon includes spellings of the word as ''1337'' or ''leet''.
Leet can be defined as the ] or modification of written text. For example, the term ''leet'' itself is often written ''l33t'', or ''1337'', and many other variations.<ref>In keeping with the purpose of Leet, variations of its name have been deliberately obscure. After the decimal number ''1337'' became widely familiar, the ] version ''10100111001'' was used, e.g. as a puzzle, an in-joke for technical illustrations]], and a T-shirt design. finds examples of the two number forms used together on the Web with the name ''Leet''.</ref> Such perturbations are frequently referred to as “Leetspeak”. In addition to modification of standard language, new ]s have been added to the ]. It is also important to note that Leet itself is not solely based upon one language or character set. ], ], ], and other languages have been subjected to the Leet variety. As such, while it may be referred to as a “cipher,” a “dialect,” or a “language,” Leet does not fit squarely into any of these categories. This article primarily concerns the ] variant of Leet.


==History==
Leet originated within ]s (BBS) in the 1980s,<ref name=mitchell>Mitchell.</ref><ref name=bbc>An Explanation of l33t Speak.</ref> where having "elite" status on a BBS allowed a user access to file folders, games, and special chat rooms. The ] hacker collective has been credited with the original coining of the term, in their text-files of that era.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mello|first=John P.|url=http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/Google-Expands-Bug-Bounty-Program-81668.html|title=Google Expands Bug Bounty Program|date=February 2, 2015|website=E-Commerce Times}}</ref> One theory is that it was developed to defeat ] created by BBS or ] ] for message boards to discourage the discussion of forbidden topics, like ] and ].<ref name=mitchell/> Creative misspellings and ASCII-art-derived words were also a way to attempt to indicate one was knowledgeable about the culture of computer users.


Once reserved for ], crackers, and ]s, leet later entered the mainstream.<ref name=mitchell/> Some consider ]s and ], like smiley faces, to be leet, while others maintain that leet consists of only symbolic word obfuscation. More obscure forms of leet, involving the use of symbol combinations and almost no letters or numbers, continue to be used for its original purpose of obfuscated communication. It is also sometimes used as a scripting language. Variants of leet have been used to evade censorship for many years; for instance "@$$" (ass) and "$#!+" (shit) are frequently seen to make a word appear censored to the untrained eye but obvious to a person familiar with leet. This enables coders and programmers especially to circumvent filters and speak about topics that would usually get banned. "Hacker" would end up as "H4x0r", for example.<ref>{{Cite web|title=A guide to leetspeak|url=https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/online-marketing/social-media/what-is-leetspeak/|access-date=2021-12-17|website=IONOS Digitalguide|date=17 November 2021 |language=en}}</ref>


]s showing 1337]]
==Numbers==
Another use of 1337 is replacing numbers with letters. For example, ''0'' would be replaced with ''O''. ''1'' would be replaced with ''i'' or ''I'', ''2'' would be replaced with ''Z'', ''3'' would be replaced with ''E'', ''4'' would be replaced with ''A'', ''5'' would be replaced with ''S'', ''6'' would be replaced with ''G'', ''7'' would be replaced with ''T'', ''8'' would be replaced with ''B'', and ''9'' would be replaced with ''P''.


Leet symbols, especially the number 1337, are ]s that have spilled over into some culture. Signs that show the numbers "1337" are popular motifs for pictures and are shared widely across the Internet.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2014/03/11/opinion/10-classic-internet-memes/index.html|title=10 classic memes that owned the Internet|first=Ben|last=Huh|website=]|date=March 12, 2014|access-date=April 23, 2013}}</ref>
==The Leet cipher and syntax==
The Leet cipher is a highly dynamic, subjective cipher. It can be applied to many languages and character sets. As it incorporates new vocabulary and ]s, the set of ]s and corruptions increases. As the cipher was originally based upon ] and the ], it is possible to derive a very basic set of common transliterations and corruptions.


===Common transliterations=== === Algospeak ===
{{main article|Algospeak}}
The cipher itself is highly dynamic, and subject to stylistic interpretation. A simple list of transliterations follows:
] shares conceptual similarities with leet, albeit with its primary purpose to circumvent algorithmic ], "algospeak" deriving from ''algo'' of ''algorithm'' and ''speak''. These are ]s that aim to evade ], especially ] or hindering ].<ref>{{cite news |last=Lorenz |first=Taylor |title=Internet 'algospeak' is changing our language in real time, from 'nip nops' to 'le dollar bean' |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=8 April 2022 |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/04/08/algospeak-tiktok-le-dollar-bean/ |access-date=2 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://theconversation.com/what-is-algospeak-inside-the-newest-version-of-linguistic-subterfuge-203460 |title=What is 'algospeak'? Inside the newest version of linguistic subterfuge |date=13 April 2023 |access-date=2 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonytellez/2023/01/31/mascara-unalive-corn-what-common-social-media-algospeak-words-actually-mean/?sh=634d52092a08 |title='Mascara,' 'Unalive,' 'Corn': What Common Social Media Algospeak Words Actually Mean |website=] |access-date=2 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexandralevine/2022/09/16/algospeak-social-media-survey/?sh=37d539855e10 |title=From Camping to Cheese Pizza, 'Algospeak' is Taking over Social Media |website=] |access-date=2 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |chapter-url= https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/3543873.3587355 |doi=10.1145/3543873.3587355 |chapter=How Algorithm Awareness Impacts Algospeak Use on TikTok |title=Companion Proceedings of the ACM Web Conference 2022 |date=2022 |last1=Klug |first1=Daniel |last2=Steen |first2=Ella |last3=Yurechko |first3=Kathryn |pages=234–237 |isbn=9781450394192 |s2cid=258377709 |access-date=2 January 2024}}</ref> One prominent example is using the term "unalive" as opposed to the verb "kill" or even "suicide". Other examples include using "restarted" or "regarded" instead of "retarded" and "seggs" in place of "sex". These phrases are easily understandable to humans, providing either the same general meaning, pronunciation, or shape of the original word. It is furthermore often employed as a more contemporary alternative to leet. The approach has gained more popularity in 2023 and 2024 due to the ] with the topic's contentious nature on the Internet, especially on ] and ] platforms.<ref>{{cite news |last=Nix |first=Naomi |title=Pro-Palestinian creators use secret spellings, code words to evade social media algorithms |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=20 October 2023 |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/10/20/palestinian-tiktok-instagram-algospeak-israel-hamas/ |access-date=2 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.foxnews.com/tech/how-pro-palestinians-using-algospeak-dodge-social-media-scrutiny-disseminate-hateful-rhetoric |title=How pro-Palestinians are using 'Algospeak' to dodge social media scrutiny and disseminate hateful rhetoric |website=] |date=23 October 2023 |access-date=2 January 2024}}</ref>


==Orthography==
Note: Leet is not standardized, thus variations of the following transliterations may exist or be created.
One of the hallmarks of leet is its unique approach to ], using substitutions of other letters, or indeed of characters other than letters, to represent letters in a word.<ref name=sterling>Sterling, 70.</ref><ref name="goss 80">Blashki & Nichol, 80.</ref> For more casual use of leet, the primary strategy is to use quasi-]s, symbols that closely resemble (to varying degrees) the letters for which they stand.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

The choice of symbol is not fixed: anything the reader can make sense of is valid in leet-speak. Sometimes, ] would work around a nickname being already taken (and maybe abandoned as well) by replacing a letter with a similar-looking digit.

* However, leet is also seen in situations where the ] (e.g. secret language) characteristics of the system are required, either to exclude newbies or outsiders in general, i.e., anything that the ''average'' reader ''cannot'' make sense of is valid; a valid reader should themselves try to make sense, if deserving of the underlying message.
* Mild leet can be used to mess with ] "as is".

Another use for leet orthographic substitutions is the creation of paraphrased passwords.<ref name=mitchell/> Limitations imposed by websites on password length (usually no more than 36) and the characters permitted (e.g. alphanumeric and symbols)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://help.pearsoncmg.com/rumba/b2c_self_reg/en/Content/b2c_signin_guidelines.html|title=Username and Password Guidelines|website=help.pearsoncmg.com|access-date=2019-12-10}}</ref> require less extensive forms when used in this application.

]

Some examples of leet include:
* '']''.
* ''n00b'' -- a term for "noob", the stereotypical ].
* The '''l33t''' programming language.
* ''"E5C4P3"'': stylized cover of ]'s ] album.
* ''k3w1'' deciphers as "kewl" (which is derived from "cool").
* The web-comics '']'' and '']'', which contain characters who speak variations of leet.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gallagher |first1=Fred |last2=Caston |first2=Rodney |title="MegaTokyo - Speak L33t?" |url=https://megatokyo.com/strip/9 |website=MegaTokyo |access-date=2024-01-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hussie |first1=Andrew |title===> |url=https://www.homestuck.com/story/1528 |website=Homestuck |access-date=2024-01-31}}</ref>
* The digit "5" in ] nickname.
* Upside-down "1337" (with a bar under "1") also reads as "LEET" (example on the photo).
* "DEF 4L7" plates are used by Defalt, a hacker from the ] videogame (the first in the series).
* ] reads as modified "]".
* "1 (4/\/"7 |_|/\/[)3|2574/\/[) '/0|_||2 \/\/|2171/\/9.17’5 (0/\/|=|_|51/\/9" is heavily leet-styled "I can’t understand your writing. It’s confusing".
* Sometimes, a word can be typed in leet with digits only:
** "360" codes word "EGO" in leet.
** "1687" or "1987" can be used to hint to IGBTs, e.g. ]s.
** "2007 2008" deciphers as "''qoot qoob''" (which is derived from "cute cube").
** "2077" (as a hint to ]) can be jokingly used towards ];
** "11363015" means ''LIEGEOIS'', e.g. ]. <!-- "''Liégeois''" is also a name for a certain popular product by Zott. !-->
** "12314734813" happens to cover "RELATEABLE" word.
** "137 17 83 137 17 60" hides "let it be, let it go" phrase
** "4150" may stand for "ALSO"
** "33571 - 18124" unravels as "''] - ]''".
* Alternatively, sometimes 3 or 6 letters can be leet-ified into a valid ]:
** <span style="color:#614D05">█</span> "614D05" is a valid HEX-code for a dark shade of gold color, referencing ];
** <span style="color:#572E55">█</span> "572E55" (or <span style="color:#572355">█</span> "572355") is a dark purple color, coming from the word "STRESS";
** <span style="color:#1C373A">█</span> "1C373A" is a dark cyan ("icy") color, derived from "ICE TEA";
** <span style="color:#C47C47">█</span> "C47C47" is a peach-orange color related to ]s;
** <span style="color:#C01025">█</span> "C01025" is a pink-ish shade of red, derived from the word "COLORS";
** <span style="color:#D35327">█</span> "D35327" is a dark orange color, produced from "DESERT" word.
** <span style="color:#B07713">█</span> "80771E" is a yellowish-orange color, produced from "BOTTLE" word.

* Spelling given names in Leet in a way the output would reference to something is also possible.
** For example, the female name "Marisa" can be spelled as /\/\AR15/\ - with a reference to the ] platform.

However, leetspeak should not be confused with ], characterized by using "4" as "for", "2" as "to", "b&" as "ban'd" (e.g. "banned"), "gr8 b8, m8, appreci8, no h8" as "great bait, mate, appreciate, no hate", and so on.


=== Table of leet-speak substitutes for normal letters ===
{| class="wikitable" style="empty-cells: show; text-align:center;" {| class="wikitable" style="empty-cells: show; text-align:center;"
|- style="vertical-align:top;" |- style="vertical-align:top;"
!A !A
!B&nbsp;* !B
!C !C
!D !D
!E&nbsp;* !E
!F !F
!G&nbsp;* !G
!H !H
!I&nbsp;* !I
!J !J
!K !K
!L&nbsp;* !L
!M !M
!N !N
!O !O
!P&nbsp;* !P
!Q&nbsp;* !Q
!R&nbsp;* !R
!S !S
!T&nbsp;* !T
!U !U
!V !V
!W !W
!X !X
!Y&nbsp;* !Y
!Z&nbsp;* !Z
|- style="vertical-align:top;" |- style="vertical-align:top;"
|<!--A-->| <code> 4 <br/> /\ <br/> @ <br/> /-\ <br/> ^ <br/> aye <br/>(L<br/> ] </code> |<!--A-->| <code> a <br> 4 <br> /\ <br> ] <br> /-\ <br> ^ <br>(L<br> ]</code>
|<!--B-->| <code> I3 <br/> 8 <br/> 13 <br/> |3 <br/> ] <br/> !3 <br/> (3 <br/> /3 <br/> )3 <br/> |-] <br/> j3 </br> 6</code> |<!--B-->| <code> b <br> I3 <br> 8 <br> 13 <br> |3 <br> ] <br> !3 <br> (3 <br> /3 <br>)3 <br> |-] <br> j3 </code>
|<!--C-->| <code> ] <br/> { <br/> < <br/> ( <br/> ]</code> |<!--C-->| <code> c <br> ] <br> < <br> (<br> ]</code>
|<!--D-->| <code> ) <br/> |) <br/> (| <br/> </code> |<!--D-->| <code> d <br> ) <br> |) <br> (| <br> </code>
|<!--E-->| <code> 3 <br/> & <br/> ] <br/> ] <br/> ] <br/> [- <br/> |=- </code> |<!--E-->| <code> e <br> 3 <br> & <br> ] <br> ] <br> [- <br> |=- </code>
|<!--F-->| <code> |= <br/> ] <br/> |# <br/> ph <br/> /= <br/> v </code> |<!--F-->| <code> f <br> |= <br> ] <br> |# <br> ph <br> /= <br> v </code>
|<!--G-->| <code> & <br/> 6 <br/> (_+ <br/> 9 <br/> C- <br/> gee <br/> (?, <br/> [, <br/> {, <br/> <- <br/>(. </code> |<!--G-->| <code> g <br> 6 <br> & <br> (_+ <br> 9 <br> C- <br> gee <br> (?, <br> [, <br> {, <br> <- <br>(. </code>
|<!--H-->| <code> # <br/> /-/ <br/> <br/> ]-~[ <br/> }{ <br/> !-! <br/> 1-1 <br/> \-/ <br/> I+I <br/></code> |<!--H-->| <code> h <br> ] <br> /-/ <br>\-\ <br> ]-~[ <br> }{ <br> !-! <br> 1-1 <br> \-/ <br> I+I <br> ? </code>
|<!--I-->| <code> 1 <br> <br> | <br> ! <br> eye <br> 3y3 <br> ][ </code> |<!--I-->| <code> i <br> 1 <br> | <br> ][ <br> ! <br> eye <br> 3y3 </code>
|<!--J-->| <code> ,_| <br> _| <br> ._| <br> ._] <br> _] <br> ,_] <br> ] <br> ; </code> |<!--J-->| <code> j <br> ,_| <br> _| <br> ._| <br> ._] <br> _] <br> ,_] <br> ] </code>
|<!--K-->| <code> >| <br> |< <br> /< <br> 1< <br> |c <br> |( <br> |{ </code> |<!--K-->| <code> k <br> >| <br> |< <br> 1< <br> |c <br> |(</code>7<
|<!--L-->| <code> 1 <br> £ <br> 7 <br> |_ <br> |</code> |<!--L-->| <code> l <br> 1 <br> 7 <br> 2 <br> £ <br> |_ <br> |</code>
|<!--M-->| <code> /\/\ <br> /V\ <br> <br> V <br> |\/| <br> ^^ <br> <\/> <br> {V} <br> (v) <br> (V) <br> |V| <br> nn <br>IVI <br> |\|\ <br> ]\/[ <br/>1^1 </code> |<!--M-->| <code> m <br> /\/\ <br> /V\ <br> <br> |\/| <br> ^^ <br> <\/> <br> {V} <br> (v) <br> (V) <br> |\|\ <br> ]\/[ <br> nn </code><code> 11 </code>
|<!--N-->| <code> ^/ <br/> |\| <br/> /\/ <br/> <br/> <\> <br/> {\} <br/> |V <br/> /V <br/> ] <br/> ^ <br/> ท </code> |<!--N-->| <code> n <br> ^/ <br> |\| <br> /\/ <br> <br> <\> <br> {\} <br> /V <br> ^ <br> ท <br> ] <br> </code>
|<!--O-->| <code> 0 <br/> () <br/> oh <br/> <br/> p <br/> <> <br/> Ø </code> |<!--O-->| <code> o <br> 0 <br> () <br> oh <br> <br> p <br> <> <br> Ø </code>
|<!--P-->| <code> |* <br/> |o <br/> |] <br/> ? <br/> |^ <br/> |> <br/> |" <br/> 9 <br/> D <br/> |] <br/> |7 </code> |<!--P-->| <code> p <br> |* <br> |o <br> |] <br> ? <br> |^ <br> |> <br> |" <br> 9 <br> D <br> |] |7 </code>
|<!--Q-->| <code> (_,) <br/> 9 <br/> ()_ <br/> 2 <br/>0_ <br/> <| <br/> & </code> |<!--Q-->| <code> q <br> (_,) <br> ()_ <br> 2 <br> 0_ <br> <| <br> & <br> 9 <br> ] <br> ⁋ <br> ] </code>
|<!--R-->| <code> I2 <br/> |` <br/> |~ <br/> |? <br/> /2 <br/> |^ <br/> lz <br/> |9 <br/> 2 <br/> 12 <br/>] <br/> ]</code> <br/> .- </code> <br/> |2 </code> <br \> |- </code> |<!--R-->| <code> r <br> I2 <br> 9 <br> |` <br> |~ <br> |? <br> /2 <br> |^ <br> lz <br> 7 <br> 2 <br> 12 <br>] <br> ] <br> .- </code> <br> |2 <br> |-
3 <br> 4
|<!--S-->| <code> 5 <br/> $ <br/> z <br/> ] <br/> ehs <br/> es <br/> 2 </code> |<!--S-->| <code> s <br> 5 <br> $ <br> z <br> ] <br> ehs <br> es <br> 2 </code>
|<!--T-->| <code> 7 <br/> + <br/> <nowiki>-|-</nowiki> <br/> ']] <br/> "|" <br/> ~|~ </code> |<!--T-->| <code> t <br> 7 <br> + <br> <nowiki>-|-</nowiki> <br> ']] <br> «|» <br> ~|~ </code>
|<!--U-->| <code> (_) <br/> |_| <br/> v <br/> L| <br/> ] <br/> บ </code> |<!--U-->| <code> u <br> (_) <br> |_| <br> v <br> L| <br> บ </code>
|<!--V-->| <code> \/ <br/> |/ <br/> \| <br/> </code> |<!--V-->| <code> v <br> \/ <br> |/ <br> \| <br> </code>
|<!--W-->| <code> \/\/ <br/> vv <br/> \N <br/> '// <br/> \\' <br/> \^/ <br/> (n) <br/> \V/ <br/> \X/ <br/> \|/ <br/> \_|_/ <br/> \_:_/ <br/> ] <br/> ] <br/> uu <br/> 2u <br/> \\//\\// <br/> พ<br/> </code> |<!--W-->| <code> w <br> \/\/ <br> vv <br> \N <br> '// <br> \\' <br> \^/ <br> \/\/ <br> (n) <br> \V/ <br> \X/ <br> \|/ <br> \_|_/ <br> \_:_/ <br> uu <br> 2u <br> \\//\\// <br> พ <br> ] <br>]<br /></code>
|<!--X-->| <code> >< <br/> ] <br/> }{ <br/> ecks <br/> ] <br/> ] <br/>)( <br/> ][ </code> |<!--X-->| <code> x <br> >< <br> }{ <br> ecks <br> ] <br> ] <br> }{ <br>)(<br> ][ </code>
|<!--Y-->| <code> j <br/> `/ <br/> ] <br/> 7 <br/> \|/ <br/> ¥ <br/> \// </code> |<!--Y-->| <code> y <br> j <br> `/ <br> \|/ <br> ] <br> \//</code><code><nowiki>`|΄ </nowiki></code>
|<!--Z-->| <code> 2 <br/> 7_ <br/> -/_ <br/> % <br/> >_ <br/> s <br/> ~/_ <br/> -\_ <br \> -|_</code> |<!--Z-->| <code> z <br> 2 <br> 7_ <br> -/_ <br> % <br> >_ <br> s <br> ~/_ <br> -\_ <br /> -|_</code>
|-
| colspan="27" | * Note the use of 7 for either L, T, or Y; the use of 2 for either R, Z, or Q; the use of £ for either E or L; the use of 6 for either B or G; the use of 9 for either G, P, or Q; and the use of 1 for either I, L, or T. The Position of ~ may change depending on the font
|} |}


==Morphology==
J, Q, and Y typically are not transliterated and are often used as themselves. There are some common Leet alternatives for other sounds, e.g. ''ck'' is often replaced with an X (based on the Greek ]) as in ''haxor'' and ''suxors'' (''hacker'' and ''sucks/suckers''). The ''xx'' in ''haxxor'' can also mean ''ck'', thus, ''hacker''.


Text rendered in leet is often characterized by distinctive, recurring forms.
Additionally, letters in the middle of words may be transposed. This has become the subject of some discussion in the linguistics community . While the intentional transposition of letters in language is novel {{citation needed}}, Davis and Rawlinson have demonstrated that readers of most languages are capable of understanding the meaning of a word, provided complex phonemes and ] are not corrupted {{citation needed}}. Because the meaning is easily conveyed, even with severe corruption of the original wording, the transpositions and substitutions can become quite elaborate.
;''-xor'' suffix
For emxalpe, tihs sntencee may siltl be raed, eevn tuoghh olny the frsit and lsat ltetres rmeian in teihr ogrinail palecs.
:The meaning of this suffix is parallel with the English ''-er'' and ''-or'' suffixes (seen in ''hacker'' and ''lesser'')<ref name=bbc/> in that it derives ]s from a verb ]. It is realized in two different forms: ''-xor'' and ''-zor'', {{IPAc-en|-|s|ɔːr}} and {{IPAc-en|-|z|ɔːr}}, respectively. For example, the first may be seen in the word ''hax(x)or'' (''H4x0r'' in leet) {{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|æ|k|s|ɔːr}} and the second in ] {{IPAc-en|ˈ|oʊ|n|z|ɔːr}}. Additionally, this ] may also be ] with all of the suffixes of regular ]. The letter 'o' is often replaced with the numeral 0.
;''-age'' suffix
:Derivation of a noun from a verb stem is possible by attaching ''-age'' to the base form of any verb. Attested derivations are ''pwnage'', ''skillage'', and ''speakage''. However, leet provides exceptions; the word ''leetage'' is acceptable, referring to actively being ''leet''.<ref name="goss 79">Blashki & Nichol, 79.</ref> These nouns are often used with a form of "to be" rather than "to have," e.g., "that was pwnage" rather than "he has pwnage". Either is a more emphatic way of expressing the simpler "he pwns," but the former implies that the person is ''embodying'' the trait rather than merely possessing it.
;''-ness'' suffix
:Derivation of a noun from an adjective stem is done by attaching ''-ness'' to any adjective. This is entirely the same as the English form, except it is used much more often in Leet. Nouns such as ''lulzness'' and ''leetness'' are derivations using this suffix.
;Words ending in ''-ed''
:When forming a past participle ending in ''-ed'', the Leet user may replace the ''-e'' with an apostrophe, as was common in ] of previous centuries, (e.g. "pwned" becomes "pwn'd"). Sometimes, the apostrophe is removed as well (e.g. "pwned" becomes "pwnd"). The word ending may also be substituted by ''-t'' (e.g. ''pwned'' becomes ''pwnt'').<ref name="blanc33">LeBlanc, 33.</ref>
;Use of the ''-&'' suffix
:Words ending in ''-and'', ''-anned'', ''-ant'', or a similar sound can sometimes be spelled with an ] (''&'') to express the ending sound (e.g. "This is the ]", "I'm sorry, you've been b&", "&hill/&farm"). It is most commonly used with the word ''banned''. An alternative form of "B&" is "B7", as the ampersand is with the "7" key on the standard US keyboard. It is often seen in the abbreviation "IBB7" (in before banned), which indicates that the poster believes that a previous poster will soon be banned from the site, channel, or board on which they are posting.


==Grammar==
Many of the transposed characters cannot be typed simply on the computer. In ], they must be inserted via ] or the ]. The Keyboard Viewer in the ] (both ] and Classic) displays the key combinations necessary to type special characters. They can also be inserted via the Character Palette in Mac OS X.


Leet can be pronounced as a single syllable, {{IPA|/ˈliːt/}}, rhyming with ''eat,'' by way of ] of the initial vowel of "elite". It may also be pronounced as two syllables, {{IPA|/ɛˈliːt/}}. Like ], leet enjoys a looser grammar than standard English. The loose grammar, just like loose spelling, encodes some level of emphasis, ironic or otherwise. A reader must rely more on intuitive ] of leet to determine the meaning of a sentence rather than the actual sentence structure. In particular, speakers of leet are fond of ] nouns, turning verbs into nouns (and back again) as forms of emphasis, e.g. "Austin rocks" is weaker than "Austin roxxorz" (note spelling), which is weaker than "Au5t1N is t3h r0xx0rz" (note grammar), which is weaker than something like "0MFG D00D /\Ü571N 15 T3H l_l83Я 1337 Я0XX0ЯZ" (], dude, Austin is the ]-elite rocks-er!). In essence, all of these mean "Austin rocks," not necessarily the other options. Added words and misspellings add to the speaker's enjoyment. Leet, like hacker slang, employs analogy in construction of new words. For example, if ''haxored'' is the past tense of the verb "to hack" (hack → haxor → haxored), then ''winzored'' would be easily understood to be the past tense conjugation of "to win," even if the reader had not seen that particular word before.
===Word endings===
====Use of ''xor'' and ''zor''====
The suffix ''-xor'' (also ''-zor'', or other variations thereof) can be used, like the standard English ''-er'' and ''-or'', to derive an ] from a verb, such as ''pwnzor'' or ''haxor'', meaning one who ]s or ]s, respectively. It can also be suffixed to the stem of any verb, with no apparent change in meaning. The resulting verbs can be conjugated as regular ].


] and ]]]<!-- ] representation]] -->
Due to the phonetic sound of ''xor'' (a Z sound, as in '']''), Leet speakers quickly began using ''zor'' and ''zorz'' as well and in similar context.
Leet has its own colloquialisms, many of which originated as jokes based on common typing errors, habits of new computer users, or knowledge of ] and history.<ref name="goss 81">Blashki & Nichol, 81.</ref> Leet is not solely based upon one language or character set. Greek, Russian, and other languages have leet forms, and leet in one language may use characters from another where they are available. As such, while it may be referred to as a "]", a "dialect", or a "language", leet does not fit squarely into any of these categories. The term ''leet'' itself is often written ''31337'', or ''1337'', and many other variations. After the meaning of these became widely familiar, ''10100111001'' came to be used in its place, because it is the ] form of ''1337'' decimal, making it more of a puzzle to interpret. An increasingly common characteristic of leet is the changing of grammatical usage so as to be deliberately incorrect. The widespread popularity of deliberate misspelling is similar to the cult following of the "]" phrase. Indeed, the online and computer communities have been international from their inception, so spellings and phrases typical of non-native speakers are quite common.


==Vocabulary==
Using ''ri'' in combination with ''xor'' brings about long suffixes for higher levels of irony (e.g., “I am the suxorixorage”). The suffix '']'' may also be added to words in the same way as ''xor''. This practice entered the popular culture based on ]per ]'s use of the slang.
] t-shirt using leet to highlight ] vulnerability]]
Many words originally derived from leet have now become part of modern ], such as "]".<ref name=mitchell/> The original driving forces of new vocabulary in leet were common misspellings and typing errors such as "]" (generally considered lolspeak), and intentional misspellings,<ref name="goss 83">Blashki & Nichol, 83.</ref> especially the "z" at the end of words ("skillz").<ref name=mitchell/> Another prominent example of a surviving leet expression is '']'', an exclamation of joy.<ref name=bbc/> w00t is sometimes used as a ] for "We owned the other team."


New words (or corruptions thereof) may arise from a need to make one's username unique. As any given Internet service reaches more people, the number of names available to a given user is drastically reduced. While many users may wish to have the username "CatLover," for example, in many cases it is only possible for one user to have the moniker. As such, degradations of the name may evolve, such as "C@7L0vr." As the leet cipher is highly dynamic, there is a wider possibility for multiple users to share the "same" name, through combinations of spelling and transliterations.
Some insist that ''xor'' was created as a divination from other abbreviations; e.g. X meaning ''cross'' and O + R with an implied V between them, altogether meaning ''crossover,'' a clever synonym for anything translated into leet.


Additionally, ''leet''—the word itself—can be found in the ] and ] of many Internet and video games. Use of the term in such a manner announces a high level of skill, though such an announcement may be seen as baseless ].<ref name=hope>Computer Hope Dictionary.</ref>{{More detail needed}}<!-- This seems short. -->
In the phrase “rock your b0x0rz,” ''b0x0rz'' may not refer to '']'' (i.e. ]) but might refer to ''boxes'' (in computer slang: computers, though '']'' or ''b0x3n'' may be more commonly used in this context). The more naïve interpretation "rocks your boxers" is still meaningful, however, as the sentiment is much the same and is often used to carry a connotation that one was 'rocked' so hard they felt it in their boxer shorts. This is also similar to the phrase "to scare one's pants off".
<!-- NOTE: ANY FURTHER ADDITIONS MUST HAVE A PROPER REFERENCE OR WILL BE REMOVED PER WP:OR -->


===Terminology and common misspellings===
====Use of the ''-age'' suffix====
'']'' (nominally {{IPAc-en|w|ɛər|z}}) is a plural shortening of "software", typically referring to cracked and redistributed software.<ref name=hope/> '']'' refers to the hacking of telephone systems and other non-Internet equipment.<ref name=mitchell/> '']'' originated as a typographical error of "the", and is sometimes spelled ''t3h''.<ref name=mitchell/><ref name="blanc34 35">LeBlanc, 34-35.</ref> ''j00'' takes the place of "you",<ref name=bbc/> originating from the ] sound that occurs in place of the ], {{IPA|/j/}}, when ''you'' follows a word ending in an ] ] consonant, such as {{IPA|/t/}} or {{IPA|/d/}}. Also, from German, is '']'', which means "over" or "above"; it usually appears as a prefix attached to adjectives, and is frequently written without the ] over the ''u''.<ref name=dutch>Van de Velde & Meuleman.</ref>
A verb may be changed to a noun simply by adding ''-age'', or an adjective to a noun with ''-ness''. For example, ''speak'' becomes ''speakage'' or Leet becomes Leetness, as in “I know Leetness speakage,” meaning, “I know Leetspeak.” The addition of this suffix to the lexicon of popular culture is attributed to ].


====Haxor and suxxor (suxorz)====
The ''-age'' suffix has also been attributed to the ]/]/] band ], and sometimes with the band ].{{citation needed}} The lead singer of the former, ], possesses a ] in biochemistry, and comically associates the band and himself with nerds and geeks. Members of the band have been involved with computers and software since the early 1980s. The Descendents commonly add the suffix ''-age'' to song and album titles such as “Myage,” “Cameage,” “Bikage,” “Liveage,” “Tonyage,” “Marriage,” and even “Coolidge.” Most of these songs can be found on their 1981 release '']'' (also ending with the ''-age'' sound). A Descendents tribute album was appropriately named ''Homage'', which recognized the band's most common word morphology. ] was a punk music festival highlighted by performances from Descendents and ALL.
''Haxor'', and derivations thereof, is leet for "hacker",<ref name="blanc30 32">LeBlanc, 30; 32.</ref> and it is one of the most commonplace examples of the use of the ''-xor'' suffix. ''Suxxor'' (pronounced suck-zor) is a derogatory term which originated in ] culture and is currently{{when|date=February 2023}} used in multi-user environments such as multiplayer video games and ]; it, like ''haxor'', is one of the early leet words to use the ''-xor'' suffix. ''Suxxor'' is a modified version of "sucks" (the phrase "to suck"), and the meaning is the same as the English slang. ''Suxxor'' can be mistaken with ''Succer/Succker'' if used in the wrong context. Its negative definition essentially makes it the opposite of ''roxxor'', and both can be used as a verb or a noun. The letters ''ck'' are often replaced with the Greek Χ (]) in other words as well.


====n00b====
Due to the fluid nature of Leet, such derived nouns can be further re-purposed as verbs: “Complete Pwnage” (that is, “Completely owned”).
{{main|Newbie}}


Within leet, the term ''n00b'' (and derivations thereof) is used extensively. The term is derived from '']'' (as in new and inexperienced, or uninformed),<ref name="goss 83"/><ref name=dutch/><ref name=acronym/> and is used to differentiate "n00bs" from the "elite" (or even "normal") members of a group.
====Words ending in ''-ed''====
In words ending in ''-ed'', it is fairly common for the ''e'' to be dropped. It can either be replaced by an apostrophe, as is common in ] (e.g., ''owned'' becomes ''own'd''), or omitted entirely (e.g., ''owned'' becomes ''ownd''). The word ending may also be substituted by ''-t''. For example, ''owned'' would become ''ownt''.


====Use of the ''-&'' suffix==== ====Owned and pwned====
{{anchor|Pwn}}
In words ending with ''-and,'' ''-anned,'', ''-ant,'' or a similar sound can sometimes have an ampersand (''&'') replacing the ending sound. This is most commonly used with the word ''banned'' (i.e. “I'm sorry, you've been b&”).
{{redirect|Pwn}}
]'' comic strip]]
''Owned'' and ''pwned'' (generally pronounced "poned"<ref name="mw"></ref> ) both refer to the domination of a player in a video game or argument (rather than just a win), or the successful hacking of a website or computer.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://publik.tuwien.ac.at/files/pub-inf_4395.pdf |title=Pwned – 10 Tales of Appropriation in Video Games|author= Pichlmair, Martin}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Computer Slang |url=http://books.ifmo.ru/book/vip/196.pdf |date=December 9, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081209115317/http://books.ifmo.ru/book/vip/196.pdf |archive-date=December 9, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Ludlow|first1=Peter|last2=Wallace|first2=Mark|date=2007|title=The Second Life Herald|publisher=MIT Press|page=|isbn=978-0-262-12294-8|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/secondlifeherald00ludl/page/53}}</ref><ref name=mitchell/><ref name=dutch/><ref name="blanc32 33">LeBlanc, 32-33.</ref> It is a slang term derived from the verb '']'', meaning to appropriate or to conquer to gain ownership. As is a common characteristic of leet, the terms have also been adapted into noun and adjective forms,<ref name=dutch/> ''ownage'' and ''pwnage'', which can refer to the situation of ''pwning'' or to the superiority of its subject (e.g., "He is a very good player. He is pwnage.").


The term was created accidentally by the misspelling of "own" due to the keyboard proximity of the "O" and "P" keys. It implies domination or humiliation of a rival,<ref name=Naone>{{cite news | author=Naone, Erica |date=November 2008| title=The Flaw at the Heart of the Internet| work=]| volume=111| number=6| pages= 62–67}}</ref> used primarily in the ]-based ] to taunt an opponent who has just been soundly defeated (e.g., "You just got pwned!").<ref>{{cite book | author=Peckham, Aaron |date=2007| title=Mo' Urban Dictionary: Ridonkulous Street Slang Defined| publisher= Andrews McMeel Publishing|page=230| isbn=978-0-7407-6875-0}}</ref> In 2015 ] added pwn to their Official Scrabble Words list.<ref>{{Cite news | title=Go Forth And Pwn For Shizzle, Word List Guardians Tell Scrabble Players| url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/05/21/408508565/go-forth-and-pwn-for-shizzle-say-scrabble-word-list-s-guardians| access-date=2020-07-05| newspaper=NPR| date=21 May 2015| language=en| last1=Chappell| first1=Bill}}</ref>
An alternate form of B& is B7, as the ampersand is attached to the 7 key. It is often seen in the phrase IBB7 (In before ban)

===Grammar===
Leet, like other ], enjoys a looser grammar than standard ]. The loose grammar, just like loose spelling, encodes some level of emphasis, ironic or otherwise. A reader must rely more on intuitive ] of Leet to determine the meaning of a sentence rather than the actual sentence ]. In particular, speakers of Leet are fond of ] nouns, turning verbs into nouns (and back again) as forms of emphasis (e.g. “Bob rocks” is weaker than “Bob r0xx0rz” (note spelling), which is weaker than “Bob is t3h r0xx0rz” (note grammar), which is even weaker than "OMFG D00d Bob is t3h UBER 1337 R0XX0RZ LOL". In essence, all of these mean "Bob rocks," not necessarily the other options. Added words and misspellings add to the speaker's enjoyment. Leet, like in other hacker slang, employs overgeneralization in construction of new words. For example, if ''haxored'' is the past tense of the verb “to hack” (hack → haxor → haxored), then ''winzored'' would be easily understood to be the past tense conjugation of “to win,” even if the ] had not seen that particular ] before.

An increasingly common characteristic of Leet is changing its grammatical usage to be deliberately incorrect. For instance, instead of saying “Bob r0x0r” (“Bob rocks”), one might write, “Bob am teh r0x0r” (“Bob is the one who rocks”), or “Bob r teh r0x0rz” (“Bob are the rocks”), both of which incorrectly use the verb “to be,” and render the verb “to ]” as a ]. It is deliberately used to increase the level of irony of the statement. This deliberate misspelling is similar to the cult following of the “]” phrase. Indeed, the online and computer communities have been international from their inception, so that spellings and phrases typical of non-native speakers are quite common.

==== Rhyming and rhythm ====
While Leet is not generally spoken, it can be deemed close to ]. Care is taken by users of Leet to combine similarly timed words, or to encipher words into ways such that they have a common ] or ]. An example of this is the phrase “roffle my woffles” (note both spelling error (''woffle'') and word timing) (“roffle” is derived from the phoenetic pronunciation of the acronym ]). Other examples would be "roxorz your boxorz" (in this case, rhyming). Leet can be highly lyrical and stylistic (even ]), the way a typical ] language can be.

==== Over-exclamation and other emphasis ====
Another common feature of Leet is over-exclamation, where a ] is postfixed with many exclamation marks.

In some cases, because the exclamation symbol (!) resides on the same key as the number one ("1") on English keyboards, over-exclamation can be accidentally (or purposely) typed with extraneous numerical digits, owing to the excitement of the typist: “This is really exciting!!!!!11”. This was especially likely in the context of fast-paced online multiplayer games, where typing carefully leaves the gamer vulnerable to attack. Some deliberately type the numbers, while others take the exclamation further and sarcastically replace some of the digits with words: “This is really exciting!!!!!!11eleven1111one”.

Other common typos and uses, whether intentional or otherwise:
*the use of the adjacent ~ (tilde) and @ keys
*the mistyping of the question mark following the same line as the exclamation mark, the most common being ''/'' and ''slash'', as in: “What are you talking about???//??/?SLASH//?QUESTIONMARK?” A similar derivation comes from the location of the ''Z'' key next to the left shift. When typing words such as ''OMG'', it has become common to instead type ''ZOMG'' to simulate the accidental typing of the Z in an effort to press the shift key.

In addition to variations on punctuation-based emphasis, it is common to combine two (or more) words and capitalize them to show emphasis. Perhaps most common would be the combination of ''OMG'' and ''WTF'' to produce ''OMGWTF''. For irony or excitement, some will then add ancillary ] phrases to the end (i.e. ''OMGWTFBBQHAX!''). This ending generally has the same meaning as the saying “..with gravy,” commonly added to the end of sentences. This creates ''OMGWTFBBQHAX'', meaning, “Oh my god; what the f*** (with added emphasis)?.” Also common is '']'' (from “no way”). Another phonetic abbreviation is ''omigawd'' (''OMG'' with a “]” accent, which is visible in the phonetic word structure).

As with most alternative Leet spellings or grammar, inclusion of these traits in a sentence is often done on purpose. The intent is typically to either lighten the mood, strengthen a point (by mocking someone who may not be party to the discussion), or convey a sense of irony, depending on the context.

=== Vocabulary ===
{{main|Internet slang}}

Many words originally derived from Leet slang have now become part of the modern Internet slang, such as "]ed". The primary driving force of new vocabulary in Leet is the need to describe new phenomena. Another force is common misspelling and mistyping such as "]", and intentional misspellings, especially the "z" at the end of words (“skillz”). Another prominent example of a surviving Leet expression is '']'' (now sometimes purposely spelled as ''w0t0''), an exclamation of joy.

Additionally, new words (or corruptions thereof) may arise from a need to make one's username unique. As any given Internet service reaches more people, the number of names available to a given user is drastically reduced. While many users may wish to have the username “CatLover,” for example, in many cases it is only possible for one user to have the moniker. As such, degradations of the name may evolve, such as “C@L0vr.” As the Leet cipher is highly dynamic, there is a wider possibility for multiple users to share the “same” name, through combinations of ]s and transliterations.

Other common misspellings now standard in Leet are:

*''evar'', ''evah'', and ''eva'' for ''ever''. Generally used the phrase “Worst. ''''. Evar.” (e.g. “Worst. Game. Evar.”) This construct is largely credited as a reference to a phrase often uttered by ], a recurring character on '']'', which, itself, is a reference to a complaint uttered about the quality of the show by participants in the ] newsgroup.
*] ''{{lang|de|''ist''}}'' for ''is'' has crept into Leet, including English encipherings. It is frequently used with word ''death'' (“Mp3 ist death.”). Also, "{{lang|de|''krieg''}}"—German for ''war''—in this context means, approximately, ''favorable'' (“Mp3 ist krieg.”). This usage is common among internet users who are fans of ].
*''Über'' (from German {{lang|de|'']''}}: ''above'', ''over'') has also made its way into gaming communities to represent a quality of superiority. It usually appears as a prefix attached to adjectives, (“His rushes are überquick;” “The rocket launcher is überpowerful”) although it is occasionally used as a standalone descriptor (“Her playing style is über,” meaning “Her playing style is great.”). This is often written without the ] over the u.
*''smrt'' or ''samrt'' for ''smart''—The former may also be an intentional reference to an episode of '']'' in which ] misspells ''smart'' in song whilst burning his ] ]: “I am so smart! I am so smart! S-M-R-T! I mean S-M-A-R-T!”
*'']'', often spelled ''t3h'', standing for ''the''.
*''gom'' for ''omg'', meaning “Oh My God” or “Oh My Gosh”.
*''J00'' for ''you''—This originates from either the ''J'' or ''Ch'' sound when the word you is following a consonant, such as “Don't you know?” which sounds like “Don't joo/chu know?” when spoken. It may also derive from other languages where ''J'' has the same sound as ''Y''.
*''Ma'' or ''Mah'' for ''my''. This originated from either a southern dialect (in the case of “Mah”) of pronunciation or possibly ]/]/] pronunciations{{citation needed}} of the word. Similarly, ''meh'' can stand for ''me''.<ref name="meh">{{cite web
| last =
| first =
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title = PL Meh!
| work =
| publisher = Gamedaily.com
| date = 2006-13-09
| url = http://www.gamedaily.com/features/?id=1115
| format =
| doi =
| accessdate = 2006-01-11 }}</ref>

==== Kekeke ====
The expression "kekeke" is widely believed to have come from ]. In the Korean language, people expressed laughter in writing by repeating the letter "ㅋ" (Korean letter for the hard k , called 키읔 or "kieuk") many times over. Since early versions of ] did not allow players to write in ] (the Korean writing system), Koreans would ] their language. Hence, kekeke was born. The phrase is an ] Korean phrase similar to the English and French "hahaha", Spanish "jajaja", Chinese "hehehe", or Japanese "fufufu" (also romanized as "huhuhu"; the Japanese syllable in question begins with a consonant similar to both English "f" and "h" but identical to neither), and is meant to express ]. It is often used in-game as an expression of exaltation or as a form of mockery. Commonly, it is associated with a simple StarCraft tactic that involves massing a large number of units and using them to attack an enemy base before its owner is sufficiently prepared to defend. This is often called a ] ], after the StarCraft faction for whom the tactic was created. The phrase "OMG Zerg Rush! kekeke!!" is sometimes used outside of the game to indicate any form of overwhelming or swarming force.

Some English speakers use "kekeke" as a form of laughing, similar to giggling although it is still primarily used by Korean speakers.

The phrase also occurs on the ] ], although its origin is completely different. There are two major factions in the game which 'speak' different languages. All chat text entered by a member of one faction will appear jumbled to a member of the other, and vice versa. As a result, members of the Alliance faction will see "kek" when a member of the Horde faction had typed "lol". The cipher works a little differently for longer words though, and "hahaha" becomes "kekekek". This has become an in-joke amongst World of Warcraft players. This is also a good example of what is known as an ] in the game World of Warcraft. The game writers at Blizzard used hundreds of famous phrases and names in populating the game world. KeK (Orcish for LOL) was intentional.

The term has also found its way to public chat channels on ].

Kekeke is also used as an ] and is used by players using devious tactics and/or playing evil characters. While this usage is thought to have its roots in the laugh of ], the main villain from ], kekeke is commonly associated with laughs of devious characters in Japanese ], ], and ], and has made its way through various translations.


====Pr0n==== ====Pr0n====
{{anchor|Pr0n}}
''Pr0n'' is ] for '']''.<ref name=mitchell/> This is a deliberately inaccurate spelling/pronunciation for ''porn'',<ref name=acronym>The Acronym Finder.</ref> where a zero is often used to replace the letter O. It is sometimes used in legitimate communications (such as email discussion groups, ], chat rooms, and Internet web pages) to circumvent language and ]s, which may reject messages as offensive or ]. The word also helps prevent ] from associating commercial sites with pornography, which might result in unwelcome traffic.{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}} ''Pr0n'' is also sometimes spelled backwards (n0rp) to further obscure the meaning to potentially uninformed readers. It can also refer to ] depicting pornographic images, or to photos of the internals of consumer and industrial hardware. ''Prawn'', a spoof of the misspelling, has started to come into use, as well; in '']'', a pornographer films his movies on "Prawn Island". Conversely, in the ] '']'', '']'', referring to a kind of ], is spelled ''pr0n'', leading to the creation of food items such as "pr0n chow mein".
Also see ].


== See also ==
''Pr0n'' or ''pron'' is Leet ] for '']''.
{{Portal|Internet|Language}}

* ]
This is a deliberately inaccurate spelling/pronunciation for ''porn'', where a zero is often used to replace the letter O. It is sometimes used in legitimate communications (such as email discussion groups, ], chat rooms, and internet web pages) to circumvent language and content filters, which may reject messages as offensive or ]. The word also helps prevent ] from associating commercial sites with pornography—which might result in unwelcome traffic. ''Pr0n'' is also sometimes spelled backwards (n0rp) to further obscure the meaning to potential uninformed readers.
** ]

* ]
It can also refer to ] depicting pornographic images, or to photos of the internals of consumer and industrial hardware.

''Pr0n'' is also used to show something is a good thing, or that it is worthy of admiration. For example, “That program is the pr0n,” “My gaming skills are the pr0n,” or “We have pictures of new computer hardware, click the link for the pr0n.”

''Prawn'', a spoof of the misspelling, has started to come into use, as well; conversely, in ] '']'', referring to a kind of ], is spelled ''pr0n'', leading to the creation of food items such as “pr0n chow mein”.

==== Pwn ====
{{main|pwn|owned}}

'''''Pwn''''' refers to the domination of a player in a video game or argument (rather than just a win). For example, in a multiplayer ] game, a player with a default starting ] defeats an opponent carrying a vastly superior weapon. This would indicate dominant skill in the player with the inferior weapon, who outplayed (pwned) the player with superior firepower. As is a common characteristic of Leet, the term has also been adapted into a noun and adjective, ''pwnage'', indicating the superiority of its subject (i.e. “She is a very good player. She is pwnage.”).

There are several commonly accepted theories about its origin, most of which suggest derivation from the word ''own'', a term once used by ] to indicate full control over a computer. The word ''pwn'' means virtually the same as ''own''.
]'s pronounce pwn as ''p'own'' or ''poon''. The correct pronunciation is simply ''own''. Since the letter ''p'' on a ] keyboard is right next to the letter ''o'', it likely derives from a typographical error, which was eventually embraced by Leetspeakers.

A few theories state that ''pwn'' originates from “pure ownage,” “player own,” “power own,” “perfectly own,” or "pistol own." Using ''pwn'' rather than ''own'' means that one has beaten his opponent to a higher degree than ''own''. Another theory is that the term came into being through the misspelling of the word ''pawn'', ] being the lowest prized chess piece.{{citation needed}} Therefore, when one has pwned someone, one has placed him or her in the lowest standing. However, even this word has been purposefully used as ''p4wn3d'', as in, “I p4wn3d you.”

Another theory is based around online forum speak, where the text '':p'' is usually seen as a ] sticking its tongue out. Users would type '':pwned'' and when the program rendered '':p'', it would show up as a round face, standing in for the ''o''.

All theories denote supreme victory over one's opponent.

==== n00b ====
{{main|newbie}}

Within Leet, the term ''n00b'' (and derivations thereof) is used extensively. The word, meaning ''newbie'' (as in, new and inexperienced or uninformed), is used as a means of segregating the “elite” members of a group from outsiders. There have been other variations of the term. For example, ''nub'', ''nubcake'' (sometimes spelled ''nubcaek''), ''naab'' (from the Pakistani accent), 'n00blin', "neeb", and ''n00blet'' (a n00b who is, or acts like, a child).

Though they are often used interchangeably, there is a widely accepted separation of the definitions of ''newb'' and ''n00b'': a newb is a person who is new to something, while a n00b is a detestable or inferior person. It is used in a derogatory sense, implying the target is being ignorant of his or her own failures, blaming others without reason, failing to learn, etc. Example: “Player one is a newb because he joined the game yesterday. Player two is a n00b, because he has played the game for a year and still can't win.” The word noob is the most common insult in all online games.

In primitive Leet, as used on BBS systems in the 1980s and into the very early 1990s, the usual term was ''Christmas Kiddie''. A variant was ''greenie'' or ''Christmas greenie'' which was derived from the cowboy slang ''greenhorn''. ''Christmas Kiddie'' which referred to the phenomenon where BBS systems were flooded with new members immediately following ] and ] because ]s were a common holiday gift. If the kiddie was young, the term ''ruggie'' (derived from ''rugrat'' meaning ''child'') might be used. The term ''greenie'' is also used in the ] '']'' to refer to monsters far below the level of the player. If a player considers fighting a monster, the monster's returning text is green to indicate the monster's inferiority. The term is also used on the MMORPG '']'' to refer to new players, whose names appear green until they have played for some time.

As the Internet evolved and ]s saw a decline, the term ''Christmas Kiddie'' was shortened to just ''Kiddie'' with the meaning morphing slightly to indicate someone who did not know a lot about what they were doing online, and were just running scripts provided by other, more experienced users. This typically, but not necessarily, referred to children or ''noobs'' who had recently discovered the online world and were experimenting with various hacking scripts available.

==== Suxxor or suxorz ====

''Suxxor'' (pronounced '''suhk'''-zohr) is a derogatory term which originated in ] culture and is currently used in multi-user environments such as multiplayer video games and ]. The word is a modified version of the phrase “to suck”, and the meaning is the same as the ] ]. It is the opposite of ''roxor''.

There are two main uses: as a verb and a noun. Using the word as a verb, one could say, “Dude, that suxxorz!”, meaning, “That sucks. It is not good.” Using the word as a noun, one might say, “You are the suxxor.”, meaning “You are a bad person; you are bad at what you do.” Literally translated, this means, “U r teh suck,” but it could also mean, “you are a sucker (i.e. fool).” The two variations appeared independently: the verb version is antonymous to roxxor (Leet for “to rock”), and the noun could be a counterpart to '']'' (Leet for ''hacker'').

''Suxxor'' is one of the early Leet words to use the ''-xor'' word-ending.

==== LOL ====
{{main|LOL (Internet slang)}}
Among the early Internet slang was ''LOL'', an indication of appreciation of humor, literally meaning “Laughing Out Loud” or “Lots Of Laughs”. Similar acronyms were quickly added to the lexicon, including ''ROFL'' (“Rolling On Floor, Laughing”), and ''LMAO'' (“Laughing My Ass Off”). Derivations of the acronym quickly became incorporated into the Leet vocabulary.

Leet is prone to the corruption of words to suit rhythm and rhyming. This, in addition to various plays on the words <!--NOTE to Editors, please don't add any new examples to this little set; it gets bloated and unsightly. Take all new examples (i.e. LOLligag, Roffly Shirt etc.) to the ] and ] articles. Thanks. --> (such as ''ROFLcopter,'' ''LMAOnade,'' ''LOLLERskates,'' ''LMAOynnaise,'' ''LOLLERgasm,'' ''LOLipops,'' ''LOLLERcaust,'' and ''LOLLERcoaster,'' etc.), has led to the creation of tongue-in-cheek words and phrases that don't actually utilize the original acronym, such as “roffle my woffles ” and ''lawlsauce''. Many people will pronounce the acronym as an actual word, For example, instead of saying each letter individually (“L-O-L”), the speaker will phoneticize the acronym's pronunciation (''lawl'' or ''lohl'').

''Lawl'' or ''lawlz'', however, can be used sarcastically, meaning, “It wasn't very funny, but I'll give you credit.”

==Examples of Leet==
=== Sentences ===
<!-- These are examples. DO NOT ADD OR REPLACE sentences unless they are particularly meaningful. -->
'''Example:'''
7|-|3 |_|1(|< |3|20\/\/|\| |=0>< ]|_|/\/\|?5 0\/3|2 73|-| |_42`/ [)06.

'''Translation:'''
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

'''Example:'''
1 ]|_|57 |_34|2/\/3|) \/\/|-|47 1337 /\/\34/\/5.

'''Translation:'''
I just learned what leet means

'''More common example:'''
7 |-| 4 7 |\/| 0 \/ 3 \|/ 4 5 1337!!!

'''Translation:'''
That move was elite!!!

'''A more basic form:'''
7h15 15 4 v3ry b451c f0rm 0f 31i73, 0nly 1nv0lv1ng numb3r 5ub5717u710n.

'''Translation:'''
This is a very basic form of elite, only involving number substitution

<!-- These are examples. DO NOT ADD OR REPLACE sentences unless they are particularly meaningful. -->

==See also==
===Related===
*]
*]
*]
*]
*'']'', a ] in which some characters speak in Leet
*]
*]
*]
*'']''

=== Similar and related dialects ===
* ]
* ] * ]
* ], a glossary and usage dictionary of computer programmer slang
* ]
* ] * ]
* ] * ]
* ]
* ]
* ] and ]

* ] and its "lolspeak", a similar phenomenon in 21st century English language
=== Terminology ===
* ], a similar phenomenon in Russian language
* ]
* ], a similar phenomenon in Chinese language
* ]
* ], a similar phenomenon in Korean language
* ]
* ], a similar phenomenon in Japanese language
* ]
* ] case, involving interpreting the word's letters as digits.
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]


==Footnotes==
=== Leet in the Internet Social Corpus ===
{{Reflist}}
* ], the stereotypical ]
* ], humorous British website, described as a "puerile digital arts community"
* ''"]"'', the video game sequel to Driver 2
* ]
* Google's Hacker Language page which contains
* ] English film about the British crime underworld
* ]
* Megatokyo's Leet debut
* ''"]"'', Popular television series on ]
* ], Linkin Park's album of remixed songs (the singles are corrupted with Leet)
* ], the title of a 2002 science-fiction drama film
* ''"]"'', a reality show on Fox
* ''"]"'', sequel to Wipeout 2097
* "PLAY B3YOND", slogan for ]
* "Troop 1337", a team in the movie '']''
* "]", the official title for the movie starring ] and ]
* "Hackers" review at Rinkworks. To see it, go to http://rinkworks.com/badmovie/m/hackers.1995.shtml


==References== ==References==
{{refbegin|30em}}
<references />
* {{cite web | url=http://acronymfinder.com/ | title=The Acronym Finder | publisher=Mountain Data Systems, LLC | access-date=2007-04-11 }} {{fix|text=inline citation needed|date=May 2020}}
* {{cite web | title=An Explanation of l33t Speak | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A787917 | work=h2g2 | publisher=BBC | date=2002-08-16 | access-date=2007-03-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110906114613/http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/dna/h2g2/A787917 | archive-date=2011-09-06 }}
* {{Cite journal | journal = Australian Journal of Emerging Technologies and Society | volume = 3 | issue=2 |
title = Game Geek's Goss: Linguistic Creativity In Young Males Within An Online University Forum | last1 = Blashki | first1 = Katherine | last2 = Nichol | first2 = Sophie | year=2005 | pages=77–86 | url = http://www.swinburne.edu.au/sbs/ajets/journal/V3N2/pdf/V3N2-2-Blashki.pdf }}
* {{cite web | title=Computer Hope Dictionary - Game definitions | url=http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/game.htm | publisher=Computer Hope | access-date=2007-04-02}} {{fix|text=inline citation needed|date=May 2020}}
* {{cite web | url=http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/ | title=The Free Dictionary -- Acronyms | work=The Free Dictionary | publisher=Farlex, Inc | access-date=2007-04-11 }} {{fix|text=inline citation needed|date=May 2020}}
* {{cite web|title=Google Directory - Computers |url=http://www.google.org/alpha/Top/Computers/Programming/Languages/Obfuscated/ |access-date=2007-04-29 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930224351/http://www.google.org/alpha/Top/Computers/Programming/Languages/Obfuscated/ <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2007-09-30}} {{fix|text=inline citation needed|date=May 2020}}
* {{cite book|title=E-Mail Essentials: How to Make the Most of E-Communications|last=Haig|first=Matt|year=2001|publisher=Kogan Page|isbn=978-0-7494-3576-9|page=89}} {{fix|text=inline citation needed|date=May 2020}}
* {{cite thesis | last=LeBlanc | first=Tracy Rene | date=May 2005 | title="Is There A Translator in Teh House?": Cultural and Discourse Analysis of a Virtual Speech Community on an Internet Message Board | type=MA thesis | publisher=Louisiana State University | url=https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/4112/ |doi=10.31390/gradschool_theses.4112 | doi-access=free }}
* {{cite web | title=A Leet Primer | last=Mitchell | first=Anthony | date=2006-06-12 | access-date=2007-04-10 | url=https://www.technewsworld.com/story/47607.html | work=Technology News | publisher=ECT News Network, Inc | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110030926/https://www.technewsworld.com/story/47607.html | archive-date=2020-11-10 }}
* {{Cite journal
| last1 = Perea | first1 = M.
| last2 = Duñabeitia | first2 = J. A.
| last3 = Carreiras | first3 = M.
| doi = 10.1037/0096-1523.34.1.237
| title = R34D1Ng W0Rd5 W1Th Numb3R5
| journal = Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance
| volume = 34
| issue = 1
| pages = 237–241
| year = 2008
| pmid = 18248151
| s2cid = 6054151
| url = http://www.uv.es/~mperea/leet1.pdf
|issn=0096-1523}} {{fix|text=inline citation needed|date=May 2020}}
* {{Cite book|title=The New Hacker's Dictionary|last1=Raymond|first1=Eric R.|last2=Steele|first2=Guy L.|year=1996|publisher=MIT Press|isbn=978-0-262-68092-9}} {{fix|text=inline citation needed|date=May 2020}}
* {{cite web | title=relax we understand j00 | last=Rome | first=James Andrew | date=2001-12-18 | access-date=2007-05-03 | publisher=], The International English Honor Society. ], Beta Beta Chapter | url=http://www.case.edu/orgs/sigmataudelta/submissions/rome-relaxweunderstand.htm |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070216195207/http://www.case.edu/orgs/sigmataudelta/submissions/rome-relaxweunderstand.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2007-02-16}}
* {{cite book | last=Sterling | first=Bruce | author-link=Bruce Sterling | title =The Hacker Crackdown: Law and Disorder on the Electronic Frontier | journal=Printout of the Electronic Version | publisher=Bantam Spectra Books | location=New York | year=1994 | page= | isbn=978-0-553-56370-2 | title-link=The Hacker Crackdown | bibcode=1994hcld.book.....S }}
* {{cite web | title=Lexical tensions in 'internet english' : 1337 as language? | last=Van de Velde | first=Kristof | author2=Meuleman, Jeroen | year=2004 | access-date=2007-04-13 | url=http://www.verbumvanum.org/kristof/index.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070429020757/http://www.verbumvanum.org/kristof/index.html | archive-date=2007-04-29 | url-status=dead }}
* {{cite web | url=http://pages.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/~crwth/LOL.html | title=The creation of "LOL" | first=Wayne | last=Pearson | access-date=2008-11-06}} {{fix|text=inline citation needed|date=May 2020}}
{{refend}}


=== Vocabulary === ==Further reading==
* {{cite thesis |last=Katelnikoff |first=Joel |date= 2013 |title=SCROLL / NETWORK / HACK: A Poetics of ASCII Literature (1983-1989) |type=PhD dissertation |publisher=University of Alberta |url=https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/e81f69d0-7ce9-4013-8d73-8b06eef85b2f |doi=10.7939/R3PG1J01C }}
* {{jargon}}
* {{cite journal | journal = Australian Journal of Emerging Technologies and Society | volume = 3 |
title = Game Geek’s Goss: Linguistic Creativity In Young Males Within An Online University Forum (94/\/\3 933k’5 9055oneone) | last = Blashki | first = Katherine | coauthors = Nichol, Sophie | accessdate = September 12 | accessyear = 2006 | url = http://www.swinburne.edu.au/sbs/ajets/journal/V3N2/pdf/V3N2-2-Blashki.pdf }}
*], ] ISBN 0-553-56370-X.


==External links==
=== Syntax and structure ===
{{Wiktionary|leet}}
* {{cite web | title = According to a research at Gent University | last = Jeroen | first = Kristof | year = 2004 | url = http://www.verbumvanum.org/kristof/index.html | accessdate = 19 june | accessyear = 2006 }}
*{{cite web
* {{cite web | title = Manuel Perea | url = http://www.uv.es/~mperea/ | last = Several publications on "letter position/idenpenistity" can be found in the website of | accessdate = 2 september| accessyear = 2006 }}
| url = https://www.osgu.ac.in/programs/bachelor-of-computer-science-engineering-b-tech-cse-cse-leet/

| title = B.Tech/B.Tech (Leet) - CSE (Cloud technology, information security, data science, artificial intelligence, cyber security)
=== Evolution, current state, and spread ===
| work = www.osgu.ac.in/programs ]
* {{cite web | title = Twin Language | last = Hudon | first = Mindy | accessdate = 29 January | accessyear = 2006 | url = http://toddlerstoday.com/resources/articles/twintalk.htm }}
| archive-url = https://archive.today/20210522164358/https://www.osgu.ac.in/programs/bachelor-of-computer-science-engineering-b-tech-cse-cse-leet/
<!-- "Irregularity in spellings is a relative thing. Take for example, the words "come and some". They are considered irregular because they are not pronounced like " dome, home, gnome, or Rome, pronunciations based on the silent trailing e rule that makes the "o" a long pronunciation. But how often do these latter regular spellings appear while reading compared to the irregular ones. The frequency at which words appear in text has a strong influence on our ability to recognize them; you will easily recognize the word "have" for example, without realizing that it is an irregular spelling. Such an approach is called the "analogy approach" to regularity. Words become regular the more often you see them. Interestingly, the 15 to 20 percent of irregularly spelled words on a typical page appear more frequently in text than regularly spelled words." -->
| archive-date = May 22, 2021
* {{cite web | title = Origins of Written Language | last = Gay | first = Greg | accessdate = 29 January | accessyear = 2006 | url = http://www.ldrc.ca/contents/view_article/152/ }}
| accessdate = May 22, 2021
| url-status = live
}}


{{Internet Dialects}} {{Internet Dialects}}
{{internet slang}}
{{English pseudo-dialects}}


{{Authority control}}
]

]
]
]
]
] ]
]
]
] ]
]

]
]
]
]
] ]
]
]
] ]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]



People use leet to code words in which they remain hidden from others. Only those skilled at 1337 can get them.

Latest revision as of 05:07, 27 December 2024

Online slang and alternative orthography For other uses, see Leet (disambiguation).
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Leet" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
An "eleet hacker" (31337 H4XØR) laptop sticker, along with a "Free Kevin " sticker

Leet (or "1337"), also known as eleet or leetspeak, or simply hacker speech, is a system of modified spellings used primarily on the Internet. It often uses character replacements in ways that play on the similarity of their glyphs via reflection or other resemblance. Additionally, it modifies certain words on the basis of a system of suffixes and alternative meanings. There are many dialects or linguistic varieties in different online communities.

The term "leet" is derived from the word elite, used as an adjective to describe skill or accomplishment, especially in the fields of online gaming and computer hacking. The leet lexicon includes spellings of the word as 1337 or leet.

History

Leet originated within bulletin board systems (BBS) in the 1980s, where having "elite" status on a BBS allowed a user access to file folders, games, and special chat rooms. The Cult of the Dead Cow hacker collective has been credited with the original coining of the term, in their text-files of that era. One theory is that it was developed to defeat text filters created by BBS or Internet Relay Chat system operators for message boards to discourage the discussion of forbidden topics, like cracking and hacking. Creative misspellings and ASCII-art-derived words were also a way to attempt to indicate one was knowledgeable about the culture of computer users.

Once reserved for hackers, crackers, and script kiddies, leet later entered the mainstream. Some consider emoticons and ASCII art, like smiley faces, to be leet, while others maintain that leet consists of only symbolic word obfuscation. More obscure forms of leet, involving the use of symbol combinations and almost no letters or numbers, continue to be used for its original purpose of obfuscated communication. It is also sometimes used as a scripting language. Variants of leet have been used to evade censorship for many years; for instance "@$$" (ass) and "$#!+" (shit) are frequently seen to make a word appear censored to the untrained eye but obvious to a person familiar with leet. This enables coders and programmers especially to circumvent filters and speak about topics that would usually get banned. "Hacker" would end up as "H4x0r", for example.

Various display devices showing 1337

Leet symbols, especially the number 1337, are Internet memes that have spilled over into some culture. Signs that show the numbers "1337" are popular motifs for pictures and are shared widely across the Internet.

Algospeak

Main article: Algospeak

Algospeak shares conceptual similarities with leet, albeit with its primary purpose to circumvent algorithmic censorship online, "algospeak" deriving from algo of algorithm and speak. These are euphemisms that aim to evade automated online moderation techniques, especially those that are considered unfair or hindering free speech. One prominent example is using the term "unalive" as opposed to the verb "kill" or even "suicide". Other examples include using "restarted" or "regarded" instead of "retarded" and "seggs" in place of "sex". These phrases are easily understandable to humans, providing either the same general meaning, pronunciation, or shape of the original word. It is furthermore often employed as a more contemporary alternative to leet. The approach has gained more popularity in 2023 and 2024 due to the rise in conflict between Israel and Gaza with the topic's contentious nature on the Internet, especially on Meta and TikTok platforms.

Orthography

One of the hallmarks of leet is its unique approach to orthography, using substitutions of other letters, or indeed of characters other than letters, to represent letters in a word. For more casual use of leet, the primary strategy is to use quasi-homoglyphs, symbols that closely resemble (to varying degrees) the letters for which they stand.

The choice of symbol is not fixed: anything the reader can make sense of is valid in leet-speak. Sometimes, a gamer would work around a nickname being already taken (and maybe abandoned as well) by replacing a letter with a similar-looking digit.

  • However, leet is also seen in situations where the argot (e.g. secret language) characteristics of the system are required, either to exclude newbies or outsiders in general, i.e., anything that the average reader cannot make sense of is valid; a valid reader should themselves try to make sense, if deserving of the underlying message.
  • Mild leet can be used to mess with frequency analysis "as is".

Another use for leet orthographic substitutions is the creation of paraphrased passwords. Limitations imposed by websites on password length (usually no more than 36) and the characters permitted (e.g. alphanumeric and symbols) require less extensive forms when used in this application.

The same sticker on one's laptop demonstrates upside-down "1337" as "LEET"

Some examples of leet include:

  • B1ff.
  • n00b -- a term for "noob", the stereotypical newbie.
  • The l33t programming language.
  • "E5C4P3": stylized cover of Journey's Escape album.
  • k3w1 deciphers as "kewl" (which is derived from "cool").
  • The web-comics Megatokyo and Homestuck, which contain characters who speak variations of leet.
  • The digit "5" in Deadmau5 nickname.
  • Upside-down "1337" (with a bar under "1") also reads as "LEET" (example on the photo).
  • "DEF 4L7" plates are used by Defalt, a hacker from the Watch Dogs videogame (the first in the series).
  • VA-11 HALL-A reads as modified "Valhalla".
  • "1 (4/\/"7 |_|/\/[)3|2574/\/[) '/0|_||2 \/\/|2171/\/9.17’5 (0/\/|=|_|51/\/9" is heavily leet-styled "I can’t understand your writing. It’s confusing".
  • Sometimes, a word can be typed in leet with digits only:
    • "360" codes word "EGO" in leet.
    • "1687" or "1987" can be used to hint to IGBTs, e.g. insulated-gate bipolar transistors.
    • "2007 2008" deciphers as "qoot qoob" (which is derived from "cute cube").
    • "2077" (as a hint to Cyberpunk 2077) can be jokingly used towards "ZOTT" dairy brand;
    • "11363015" means LIEGEOIS, e.g. Liège.
    • "12314734813" happens to cover "RELATEABLE" word.
    • "137 17 83 137 17 60" hides "let it be, let it go" phrase
    • "4150" may stand for "ALSO"
    • "33571 - 18124" unravels as "Eesti - Ibiza".
  • Alternatively, sometimes 3 or 6 letters can be leet-ified into a valid hexadecimal color code:
    • █ "614D05" is a valid HEX-code for a dark shade of gold color, referencing GLaDOS;
    • █ "572E55" (or █ "572355") is a dark purple color, coming from the word "STRESS";
    • █ "1C373A" is a dark cyan ("icy") color, derived from "ICE TEA";
    • █ "C47C47" is a peach-orange color related to cats;
    • █ "C01025" is a pink-ish shade of red, derived from the word "COLORS";
    • █ "D35327" is a dark orange color, produced from "DESERT" word.
    • █ "80771E" is a yellowish-orange color, produced from "BOTTLE" word.
  • Spelling given names in Leet in a way the output would reference to something is also possible.
    • For example, the female name "Marisa" can be spelled as /\/\AR15/\ - with a reference to the AR-15 platform.

However, leetspeak should not be confused with SMS-speak, characterized by using "4" as "for", "2" as "to", "b&" as "ban'd" (e.g. "banned"), "gr8 b8, m8, appreci8, no h8" as "great bait, mate, appreciate, no hate", and so on.


Table of leet-speak substitutes for normal letters

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
a
4
/\
@
/-\
^
(L
Д
b
I3
8
13
|3
ß
!3
(3
/3
)3
|-]
j3
c
[
¢
<
(
©
d
)
|)
(|
e
3
&
£

[-
|=-
f
|=
ƒ
|#
ph
/=
v
g
6
&
(_+
9
C-
gee
(?,
[,
{,
<-
(.
h
#
/-/
\-\
]-~[
}{
 !-!
1-1
\-/
I+I
 ?
i
1
|
][
 !
eye
3y3
j
,_|
_|
._|
._]
_]
,_]
]
k
>|
|<
1<
|c
|(
7<
l
1
7
2
£
|_
|
m
/\/\
/V\

|\/|
^^
<\/>
{V}
(v)
(V)
|\|\
]\/[
nn
11
n
^/
|\|
/\/

<\>
{\}
/V
^

И
o
0
()
oh

p
<>
Ø
p
|*
|o
|º
 ?
|^
|>
|"
9
D
|° |7
q
(_,)
()_
2
0_
<|
&
9


r
I2
9
|`
|~
|?
/2
|^
lz
7
2
12
®
[z
Я
.-

|2
|-

3
4

s
5
$
z
§
ehs
es
2
t
7
+
-|-
']['

«|»
~|~
u
(_)
|_|
v
L|
v
\/
|/
\|
w
\/\/
vv
\N
'//
\\'
\^/
\/\/
(n)
\V/
\X/
\|/
\_|_/
\_:_/
uu
2u
\\//\\//


ω
x
><
}{
ecks
×
?
}{
)(
][
y
j
`/
\|/
¥
\//
`|΄
z
2
7_
-/_
 %
>_
s
~/_
-\_
-|_

Morphology

Text rendered in leet is often characterized by distinctive, recurring forms.

-xor suffix
The meaning of this suffix is parallel with the English -er and -or suffixes (seen in hacker and lesser) in that it derives agent nouns from a verb stem. It is realized in two different forms: -xor and -zor, /-sɔːr/ and /-zɔːr/, respectively. For example, the first may be seen in the word hax(x)or (H4x0r in leet) /ˈhæksɔːr/ and the second in pwnzor /ˈoʊnzɔːr/. Additionally, this nominalization may also be inflected with all of the suffixes of regular English verbs. The letter 'o' is often replaced with the numeral 0.
-age suffix
Derivation of a noun from a verb stem is possible by attaching -age to the base form of any verb. Attested derivations are pwnage, skillage, and speakage. However, leet provides exceptions; the word leetage is acceptable, referring to actively being leet. These nouns are often used with a form of "to be" rather than "to have," e.g., "that was pwnage" rather than "he has pwnage". Either is a more emphatic way of expressing the simpler "he pwns," but the former implies that the person is embodying the trait rather than merely possessing it.
-ness suffix
Derivation of a noun from an adjective stem is done by attaching -ness to any adjective. This is entirely the same as the English form, except it is used much more often in Leet. Nouns such as lulzness and leetness are derivations using this suffix.
Words ending in -ed
When forming a past participle ending in -ed, the Leet user may replace the -e with an apostrophe, as was common in poetry of previous centuries, (e.g. "pwned" becomes "pwn'd"). Sometimes, the apostrophe is removed as well (e.g. "pwned" becomes "pwnd"). The word ending may also be substituted by -t (e.g. pwned becomes pwnt).
Use of the -& suffix
Words ending in -and, -anned, -ant, or a similar sound can sometimes be spelled with an ampersand (&) to express the ending sound (e.g. "This is the s&box", "I'm sorry, you've been b&", "&hill/&farm"). It is most commonly used with the word banned. An alternative form of "B&" is "B7", as the ampersand is with the "7" key on the standard US keyboard. It is often seen in the abbreviation "IBB7" (in before banned), which indicates that the poster believes that a previous poster will soon be banned from the site, channel, or board on which they are posting.

Grammar

Leet can be pronounced as a single syllable, /ˈliːt/, rhyming with eat, by way of apheresis of the initial vowel of "elite". It may also be pronounced as two syllables, /ɛˈliːt/. Like hacker slang, leet enjoys a looser grammar than standard English. The loose grammar, just like loose spelling, encodes some level of emphasis, ironic or otherwise. A reader must rely more on intuitive parsing of leet to determine the meaning of a sentence rather than the actual sentence structure. In particular, speakers of leet are fond of verbing nouns, turning verbs into nouns (and back again) as forms of emphasis, e.g. "Austin rocks" is weaker than "Austin roxxorz" (note spelling), which is weaker than "Au5t1N is t3h r0xx0rz" (note grammar), which is weaker than something like "0MFG D00D /\Ü571N 15 T3H l_l83Я 1337 Я0XX0ЯZ" (OMG, dude, Austin is the über-elite rocks-er!). In essence, all of these mean "Austin rocks," not necessarily the other options. Added words and misspellings add to the speaker's enjoyment. Leet, like hacker slang, employs analogy in construction of new words. For example, if haxored is the past tense of the verb "to hack" (hack → haxor → haxored), then winzored would be easily understood to be the past tense conjugation of "to win," even if the reader had not seen that particular word before.

"1337" represented in both binary and alternate mark inversion

Leet has its own colloquialisms, many of which originated as jokes based on common typing errors, habits of new computer users, or knowledge of cyberculture and history. Leet is not solely based upon one language or character set. Greek, Russian, and other languages have leet forms, and leet in one language may use characters from another where they are available. As such, while it may be referred to as a "cipher", a "dialect", or a "language", leet does not fit squarely into any of these categories. The term leet itself is often written 31337, or 1337, and many other variations. After the meaning of these became widely familiar, 10100111001 came to be used in its place, because it is the binary form of 1337 decimal, making it more of a puzzle to interpret. An increasingly common characteristic of leet is the changing of grammatical usage so as to be deliberately incorrect. The widespread popularity of deliberate misspelling is similar to the cult following of the "All your base are belong to us" phrase. Indeed, the online and computer communities have been international from their inception, so spellings and phrases typical of non-native speakers are quite common.

Vocabulary

A CCCamp t-shirt using leet to highlight password vulnerability

Many words originally derived from leet have now become part of modern Internet slang, such as "pwned". The original driving forces of new vocabulary in leet were common misspellings and typing errors such as "teh" (generally considered lolspeak), and intentional misspellings, especially the "z" at the end of words ("skillz"). Another prominent example of a surviving leet expression is w00t, an exclamation of joy. w00t is sometimes used as a backronym for "We owned the other team."

New words (or corruptions thereof) may arise from a need to make one's username unique. As any given Internet service reaches more people, the number of names available to a given user is drastically reduced. While many users may wish to have the username "CatLover," for example, in many cases it is only possible for one user to have the moniker. As such, degradations of the name may evolve, such as "C@7L0vr." As the leet cipher is highly dynamic, there is a wider possibility for multiple users to share the "same" name, through combinations of spelling and transliterations.

Additionally, leet—the word itself—can be found in the screen-names and gamertags of many Internet and video games. Use of the term in such a manner announces a high level of skill, though such an announcement may be seen as baseless hubris.

Terminology and common misspellings

Warez (nominally /wɛərz/) is a plural shortening of "software", typically referring to cracked and redistributed software. Phreaking refers to the hacking of telephone systems and other non-Internet equipment. Teh originated as a typographical error of "the", and is sometimes spelled t3h. j00 takes the place of "you", originating from the affricate sound that occurs in place of the palatal approximant, /j/, when you follows a word ending in an alveolar plosive consonant, such as /t/ or /d/. Also, from German, is über, which means "over" or "above"; it usually appears as a prefix attached to adjectives, and is frequently written without the umlaut over the u.

Haxor and suxxor (suxorz)

Haxor, and derivations thereof, is leet for "hacker", and it is one of the most commonplace examples of the use of the -xor suffix. Suxxor (pronounced suck-zor) is a derogatory term which originated in warez culture and is currently used in multi-user environments such as multiplayer video games and instant messaging; it, like haxor, is one of the early leet words to use the -xor suffix. Suxxor is a modified version of "sucks" (the phrase "to suck"), and the meaning is the same as the English slang. Suxxor can be mistaken with Succer/Succker if used in the wrong context. Its negative definition essentially makes it the opposite of roxxor, and both can be used as a verb or a noun. The letters ck are often replaced with the Greek Χ (chi) in other words as well.

n00b

Main article: Newbie

Within leet, the term n00b (and derivations thereof) is used extensively. The term is derived from newbie (as in new and inexperienced, or uninformed), and is used to differentiate "n00bs" from the "elite" (or even "normal") members of a group.

Owned and pwned

"Pwn" redirects here. For other uses, see Pwn (disambiguation).
An example of the term pwned in a Laugh-Out-Loud Cats comic strip

Owned and pwned (generally pronounced "poned" ) both refer to the domination of a player in a video game or argument (rather than just a win), or the successful hacking of a website or computer. It is a slang term derived from the verb own, meaning to appropriate or to conquer to gain ownership. As is a common characteristic of leet, the terms have also been adapted into noun and adjective forms, ownage and pwnage, which can refer to the situation of pwning or to the superiority of its subject (e.g., "He is a very good player. He is pwnage.").

The term was created accidentally by the misspelling of "own" due to the keyboard proximity of the "O" and "P" keys. It implies domination or humiliation of a rival, used primarily in the Internet-based video game culture to taunt an opponent who has just been soundly defeated (e.g., "You just got pwned!"). In 2015 Scrabble added pwn to their Official Scrabble Words list.

Pr0n

Pr0n is slang for pornography. This is a deliberately inaccurate spelling/pronunciation for porn, where a zero is often used to replace the letter O. It is sometimes used in legitimate communications (such as email discussion groups, Usenet, chat rooms, and Internet web pages) to circumvent language and content filters, which may reject messages as offensive or spam. The word also helps prevent search engines from associating commercial sites with pornography, which might result in unwelcome traffic. Pr0n is also sometimes spelled backwards (n0rp) to further obscure the meaning to potentially uninformed readers. It can also refer to ASCII art depicting pornographic images, or to photos of the internals of consumer and industrial hardware. Prawn, a spoof of the misspelling, has started to come into use, as well; in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, a pornographer films his movies on "Prawn Island". Conversely, in the RPG Kingdom of Loathing, prawn, referring to a kind of crustacean, is spelled pr0n, leading to the creation of food items such as "pr0n chow mein". Also see porm.

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ Mitchell.
  2. ^ An Explanation of l33t Speak.
  3. Mello, John P. (February 2, 2015). "Google Expands Bug Bounty Program". E-Commerce Times.
  4. "A guide to leetspeak". IONOS Digitalguide. 17 November 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  5. Huh, Ben (March 12, 2014). "10 classic memes that owned the Internet". CNN. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  6. Lorenz, Taylor (8 April 2022). "Internet 'algospeak' is changing our language in real time, from 'nip nops' to 'le dollar bean'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  7. "What is 'algospeak'? Inside the newest version of linguistic subterfuge". 13 April 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  8. "'Mascara,' 'Unalive,' 'Corn': What Common Social Media Algospeak Words Actually Mean". Forbes. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  9. "From Camping to Cheese Pizza, 'Algospeak' is Taking over Social Media". Forbes. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  10. Klug, Daniel; Steen, Ella; Yurechko, Kathryn (2022). "How Algorithm Awareness Impacts Algospeak Use on TikTok". Companion Proceedings of the ACM Web Conference 2022. pp. 234–237. doi:10.1145/3543873.3587355. ISBN 9781450394192. S2CID 258377709. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  11. Nix, Naomi (20 October 2023). "Pro-Palestinian creators use secret spellings, code words to evade social media algorithms". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  12. "How pro-Palestinians are using 'Algospeak' to dodge social media scrutiny and disseminate hateful rhetoric". Fox News. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  13. Sterling, 70.
  14. Blashki & Nichol, 80.
  15. "Username and Password Guidelines". help.pearsoncmg.com. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  16. Gallagher, Fred; Caston, Rodney. ""MegaTokyo - [9] Speak L33t?"". MegaTokyo. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  17. Hussie, Andrew. "==>". Homestuck. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  18. Blashki & Nichol, 79.
  19. LeBlanc, 33.
  20. Blashki & Nichol, 81.
  21. ^ Blashki & Nichol, 83.
  22. ^ Computer Hope Dictionary.
  23. LeBlanc, 34-35.
  24. ^ Van de Velde & Meuleman.
  25. LeBlanc, 30; 32.
  26. ^ The Acronym Finder.
  27. Merriam-Webster: What Does 'Pwn' Mean? And how do you say it?
  28. Pichlmair, Martin. Pwned – 10 Tales of Appropriation in Video Games (PDF).
  29. Computer Slang (PDF). December 9, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 9, 2008.
  30. Ludlow, Peter; Wallace, Mark (2007). The Second Life Herald. MIT Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-262-12294-8.
  31. LeBlanc, 32-33.
  32. Naone, Erica (November 2008). "The Flaw at the Heart of the Internet". Technology Review. Vol. 111, no. 6. pp. 62–67.
  33. Peckham, Aaron (2007). Mo' Urban Dictionary: Ridonkulous Street Slang Defined. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 230. ISBN 978-0-7407-6875-0.
  34. Chappell, Bill (21 May 2015). "Go Forth And Pwn For Shizzle, Word List Guardians Tell Scrabble Players". NPR. Retrieved 2020-07-05.

References

Further reading

External links

Internet slang variants
Internet slang
Abuse Map of the Internet
Chatspeak
Imageboard
Memes
Usenet
Categories: