Leet: Difference between revisions

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{{short description|Online slang and alternative orthography}}

[[Image:Leet_Screenshot.png|right|thumb|250px|The [[ELinks]] web browser, set to Leet language, on the [http://www.google.com/intl/xx-hacker/ Leet language version] of [[Google]].]]

{{redirect|L337|the ''Star Wars'' character|Solo: A Star Wars Story{{!}}''Solo: A Star Wars Story''|other uses|Leet (disambiguation)}}

{{pp-move|small=yes}}

{{More citations needed|date=December 2023}}

[[File:Leet_31337_h4x0r.jpg|thumb|An "eleet hacker" (31337 H4XØR) laptop sticker, along with a "Free [[Kevin Mitnick|Kevin]]" sticker]]

'''Leet''' (or "'''1337'''"), also known as ''eleet'', ''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 [[glyph]]s via [[reflection (mathematics)|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 [[Variety (linguistics)|linguistic varieties]] in different [[online communities]].

'''Leet''', written as "'''1337'''" in Leetspeak, is an online culture and/or attitude, as well as a language code, among the [[Internet]] population. The word itself is derived [[phonetics|phonetically]] from the word "[[elite]]", and is a [[cipher]], or cryptic form of spelling changes such as the substitution of "z" for the "s" at the end of a plural word, "x" for "(c)k" or "(c)ks," and "3" for "E." Letters or numbers may be chosen as substitutes for other letters based on visual similarity ("4" for "A") or similar pronunciation ("z" for "s"). Leetspeak was probably first used by hackers on [[Bulletin Board System]]s, and then later adopted by users of [[Online Multiplayer Games]] and other [[Internet]] communities. (Leet first appeared dis is propa l33t lyke ya know nyuk nyuk nyuk nyuk nyukin such games with [[id software]]'s [[1993]] first-person shooter [[Doom]], and achieved widespread popularity when [[Counter-Strike]] was released in [[2000]].) In the [[demoscene]] of the [[1980s]], the word "elite" would at one point apply to people belonging to large [[warez]] groups who had access to a (then rare) 28.800 [[baud]] [[modem]] and would be allowed to use "elite BBS:es".

The term "leet" is derived from the word ''[[elite]]'', used as an adjective to describe skill or accomplishment, especially in the fields of [[online game|online gaming]] and [[Hacker (hobbyist)|computer hacking]]. The leet lexicon includes spellings of the word as ''1337'' or ''leet''.

Spelling variation does not always follow a set convention. The same word may be spelled differently by different people, or even by the same person to confuse others even more. This is symptomatic of the desire or affected desire to elude comprehension by others unfamiliar with the foreign art form.

==History==

Many consider it a pointless affectation, and as it has become widely used it is less useful as a way of showing membership of an "elite" group. It is nonetheless a cultural phenomenon well-known amongst hackers and many other [[Internet]] users, especially [[online games|gamers]].

Leet originated within [[bulletin board system]]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 [[Cult of the Dead Cow]] 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 [[wordfilter|text filters]] created by BBS or [[Internet Relay Chat]] [[system operators]] for message boards to discourage the discussion of forbidden topics, like [[Software cracking|cracking]] and [[Hacker (computer security)|hacking]].<ref name=mitchell/>

Once reserved for [[Hacker (computer security)|hackers]], crackers, and [[script kiddie]]s, leet later entered the mainstream.<ref name=mitchell/> Some consider [[emoticon]]s 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.<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>

Certain factions maintain that "true" Leetspeak is spelled correctly, with the exceptions described above. They do not consider the use of extreme short forms (such as "''b''" for "be", or "''u''" for "you") as Leetspeak; instead, they refer to it by such terms as "[[AOL speak]]". This is because they associate such habits with users who use [[ISPs]] like [[AOL]], which is associated with "[[n00b|noobness]]" and therefore not considered "elite." The chief difference between Leetspeak and AOL speak is that Leetspeak has the goal of obfuscating traditional written language while in AOL speak the goal is primarily to shorten words (and therefore allow "n00bs" to be able to communicate more quickly). Another convention sometimes associated with Leetspeak or Internet chatting is capitalizing every other letter (LiKe ThIs), sometimes called ''[[StudlyCaps|studlycaps]]'' or ''stickycaps''. A similar habit involves capitalizing every [[consonant]] (LiKe THiS).

[[File:Anzeigen(Displays).jpg|thumb|Various [[display device]]s showing 1337]]

I am the elite, i am the greatness, i am Xero!

Leet symbols, especially the number 1337, are [[Internet meme]]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=[[CNN]]|date=March 12, 2014|access-date=April 23, 2013}}</ref>

==Overview==

[[Image:Leetspeak.png|left|frame|For those who do not normally read or write like this, automatic translators facilitate ciphering and deciphering Leet. ]]

The term ''Leet'' comes from the word ''[[elite]]''. Leet can be either pronounced as "Leet" (monosyllabic - rhymes with "meat," [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] {{IPA|/liːt/}}) or by pronouncing the ''L'' separate from the rest of the word ("el eat" (elite)", IPA {{IPA|/ɛliːt/}}). Leetspeak is a form of written [[slang]] or street talk for the [[information highway]]. It is sometimes used to create group identity and to obscure meaning from outsiders, especially [[newbie]]s (referred to as "n00bs"). It also establishes a hierarchy, as more complex forms of Leetspeak are increasingly unreadable to the untrained eye. Consider the phrase "PHr3Ku3N7ly H4s|{3d K0o£St330nZ!" It translates to "frequently asked questions". Note the extraneous ''h'' in front of ''asked'' and the construction "-teeonz" as meaning "-tions". Simple forms of Leetspeak have become rather [[mainstream]], as employees use the alternative spellings to circumvent their companies' [[mail filter]]s designed to censor coarse language and other objectionable content. Leetspeak can also be used to disguise text within the [[object code]] of a program because it looks very much like binary data when viewed in a text editor.

=== Algospeak ===

One probable explanation of its origin is from [[bulletin board system]]s (BBSs) in the [[1980s]] and early [[1990s]]. It started with people trying to talk about illegal or otherwise questionable activities, such as [[software piracy]], that some BBS operators did not want to be discussed or carried out via their systems. The operators would filter out certain words or ban people who used them. Most notably the word "hacker" was a common banned word.

{{main|Algospeak}}

[[Algospeak]] shares conceptual similarities with leet, albeit with its primary purpose to circumvent algorithmic [[Internet censorship|censorship online]], "algospeak" deriving from ''algo'' of ''algorithm'' and ''speak''. These are [[euphemism]]s that aim to evade [[Content moderation|automated online moderation techniques]], especially [[Machine ethics|those that are considered unfair]] or hindering [[free speech]].<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=[[Forbes]] |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=[[Forbes]] |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 with pro-Palestinian [[social media]] users as the [[Gaza war]] intensified, in order to circumvent algorithms used by platforms such as [[Meta Platforms|Meta]] and [[TikTok]].<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=[[Fox News]] |date=23 October 2023 |access-date=2 January 2024}}</ref>

==Orthography==

Rather than stop talking about these topics, some BBS users would simply use variations on the words, for example "hacker" could be replaced by "hack0r" or "h4cker". These variants could be banned too, to which the response was to change the word more and more until it was barely recognizable ("h4x0r", "|-|4><()|22"). Eventually the BBS operators realized that there was no way of banning words in a [[polymorphic]] language like Leet and gave up.

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.<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-[[homoglyph]]s, 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, [[gamers|a gamer]] would work around a nickname being already taken (and maybe abandoned as well) by replacing a letter with a similar-looking digit.

This later turned into a condition where having "elite" status on a BBS allowed a user access to file areas, games, and special chat rooms, often including archives of [[software piracy|pirated software]], [[pornography]], and [[text file]]s of dubious quality documenting topics such as how to construct [[explosives]] and manufacture [[illegal drugs]]. Some people think that ''Leetspeak'' or ''hakspek'' that shortens text may have been developed to decrease [[bandwidth]] usage before the bandwidth explosion of the [[1990s]], but this is most likely not the case, as such methods would have had extremely minimal effect on actual bandwidth usage.

* 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.

Something like Leetspeak has regained some popularity in [[Short_message_service|SMS]] (Short Message Service) media, which often have severe length restrictions and originally required many key presses to spell out words correctly. More recently, Leet has re-entered the mainstream thanks to its use on various popular websites such as [[blog]]s, [[webcomic]]s and [[forum]]s and its widespread use on [[Internet Relay Chat|IRC]]. As an example of this mainstreaming, [[Sears]] introduced the "HE4T" model of Kenmore [[Washing machine|clothes-washer]] and [[clothes dryer|dryer]], in late [[2004]]. People who enjoy irony sometimes use ''Leetspeak'' to bring attention to "secrets" they believe no one actually cares about, to joke, or emphasize a nuance. The irony is that now the major use of Leetspeak on the [[Internet]] is as an in-joke between computer geeks, as genuine usage has steadily declined.

* Mild leet can be used to mess with [[frequency analysis]] "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.

Websites exist that are written entirely in Leetspeak. There are also converter programs which automatically convert ordinary English text into leet, at varying levels of complexity and there is even a variant of Google in the dialect [http://www.google.com/intl/xx-hacker/].

[[File:31337 h4x0r.jpg|thumb|The same sticker on one's laptop demonstrates upside-down "31337" as "ELEET"]]

Leet is also used by crackers and authors of viruses. The widespread [[backdoor]] program [[Back Orifice]] used [[port (computing)|port]] number 31337 to gain access to unsecured Windows computers.

Some examples of leet orthography include:

Leet can also be seen leaking into more popular culture. For example, Cartoon Network's [[Adult Swim]] (a period of less-juvenile cartoons such as Family Guy and Sealab 2021, played late at night), which displays black screens with white text that update viewers as to schedule and provide entertainment, has used phrases like 'h4h4, we pwned j00!' after a 'prank' was pulled.

* ''[[BIFF (Usenet)|B1ff]]''.

* ''n00b'' -- a term for "noob", the stereotypical [[newbie]].

* The '''l33t''' programming language.

* ''"E5C4P3"'': stylized cover of [[Journey (band)|Journey]]'s [[Escape_(Journey_album)|Escape]] album.

* ''k3w1'' deciphers as "kewl" (which is derived from "cool").

* The web-comics ''[[Megatokyo]]'' and ''[[Homestuck]]'' contain characters who speak variations of leet.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gallagher |first1=Fred |last2=Caston |first2=Rodney |title="MegaTokyo - [9] 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 the stage name of musician [[Deadmau5]].

* "DEF 4L7" plates are used by Defalt (''[[sic!]]''), a hacker from the [[Watch Dogs]] videogame (the first in the series). "DefAlt" nickname is a possible reference to "default [settings]" <!-- "Defalt" without the "u" !-->

* Upside-down "1337" (with a bar under "1") also reads as "LEET" (see example on the photo).

* "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 the word "EGO" in leet.

** "1687" or "1987" can be used to refer to IGBTs, e.g. [[insulated-gate bipolar transistor]]s.

** "2007 2008" deciphers as "QOOT QOOB" which is derived from "cute cube").

** "11363015" means LIEGEOIS, e.g. [[Liège]].<!-- "''Liégeois''" is also a name for a certain popular product by Zott. !-->

** "1231474813" is an encoding of the word "RELATABLE"

** "137 17 83 137 17 60" hides the phrase "let it be, let it go"

** "4150" may stand for "ALSO"

** "33571 - 18124" translates to "''[[Eesti]] - [[Ibiza]]''".

** "2077" can be found in the logo of German dairy company [[Zott (dairy company)|"ZOTT"]] logo

* Sometimes words or phrases with 6 letters can be leet-ified into a valid [[Web colors|hexadecimal color code]]:

** <span style="color:#614D05">█</span> "614D05" is a valid HEX-code for a dark shade of gold color, referencing [[GLaDOS]];

** <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 [[cat]]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".

** <span style="color:#B07713">█</span> "80771E" is a yellowish-orange color, produced from "BOTTLE".

** <span style="color:#B00B15">█</span> "B00B15" is a redish color, derived from "[[Breast|BOOBIE]]".

** <span style="color:#B4DD1E">█</span> "B4DD1E" is a yellowish-green color, produced from "BADDIE".

* It is possible to spell words and names in leet-speak to create additional references.

** For example, the name "Marisa" can be spelled as /\/\AR15/\ - with a reference to the [[AR-15]] platform.

** 834-613 means [[Beagle|BEA-GLE]] all while also referencing to the [[Beagle Boys]] and their names (e.g. 6-digit IDs) in particular.

** 2017Δ1337 is a reference to [[Colt Delta Elite]], where "2017" stands for "Qolt" (derived from "Colt") and "1337" bears aforementioned "Elite" meaning.

However, leetspeak should not be confused with [[SMS language|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.

==Common transliterations==

(subject to a great deal of individual variation):

<table border=1 cellpadding=4 style="border-collapse: collapse;">

=== Table of leet-speak substitutes for normal letters ===

<tr>

{| class="wikitable" style="empty-cells: show; text-align:center;"

<td>'''A'''</td>

|- style="vertical-align:top;"

<td><nowiki>4, /\, @, /-\, ^, ä, ?, ?, ª </nowiki></td>

!A

!B

<td>'''G'''</td>

!C

<td><nowiki>6, &, (_+, 9, C-, (,</nowiki></td>

!D

!E

<td>'''M'''</td>

!F

<td><nowiki>//., ^^, |v|, [V], {V}, |\/|, /\/\, (u), []V[], (V)</nowiki></td>

!G

!H

<td>'''S'''</td>

!I

<td><nowiki>5, $, z, §</nowiki></td>

!J

!K

<td>'''Y'''</td>

!L

<td><nowiki>Y, '/, `/, V/, \-/, j also ¥, %</nowiki></td>

!M

</tr>

!N

!O

<tr>

!P

<td>'''B'''</td>

!Q

<td><nowiki>8, 6, |3, ß, P>, |:</nowiki>

!R

<td>'''H'''</td>

!S

<td><nowiki>#, /-/, [-], {=}, <~>, |-|, ]~[, }{, ]-[, ?, }-{</nowiki></td>

!T

!U

<td>'''N'''</td>

!V

<td><nowiki>//, ^/, |\|, /\/, [\], , <\>, {\}, []\[], n, /V</nowiki></td>

!W

!X

<td>'''T'''</td>

!Y

<td><nowiki>7, +, -|-, 1, ']['</nowiki></td>

!Z

|- style="vertical-align:top;"

<td>'''Z'''</td>

|<!--A-->| <code> a <br> 4 <br> /\ <br> [[@]] <br> /-\ <br> ^ <br>(L<br> [[Д]]</code>

<td><nowiki>2, z, ~\_, ~/_</nowiki></td>

|<!--B-->| <code> b <br> I3 <br> 8 <br> 13 <br> |3 <br> [[ß]] <br> !3 <br> (3 <br> /3 <br>)3 <br> |-] <br> j3 </code>

</tr>

|<!--C-->| <code> c <br> [ <br> [[¢]] <br> < <br> (<br> [[©]]</code>

|<!--D-->| <code> d <br> ) <br> |) <br> (| <br> [) <br> I> <br> |> <br> ? <br> T) <br> I7 <br> cl <br> |} <br> |] </code>

<tr>

|<!--E-->| <code> e <br> 3 <br> & <br> [[£]] <br> [[€]] <br> [- <br> |=- </code>

<td>'''C'''</td>

|<!--F-->| <code> f <br> |= <br> [[ƒ]] <br> |# <br> ph <br> /= <br> v </code>

<td><nowiki>[, ¢, <, (</nowiki></td>

|<!--G-->| <code> g <br> 6 <br> & <br> (_+ <br> 9 <br> C- <br> gee <br> (?, <br> [, <br> {, <br> <- <br>(. </code>

|<!--H-->| <code> h <br> [[Hash symbol|#]] <br> /-/ <br>\-\ [-] <br> ]-[ <br>)-(<br> (-) <br> :-: <br> |~| <br> |-| <br> ]~[ <br> }{ <br> !-! <br> 1-1 <br> \-/ <br> I+I <br> ? </code>

<td>'''I'''</td>

|<td!--I-->| <nowikicode>1, !,i |,<br> &,1 eye,<br> 3y3,| ï,<br> ][ </nowikibr> ! <br> eye <br> 3y3 </tdcode>

|<!--J-->| <code> j <br> ,_| <br> _| <br> ._| <br> ._] <br> _] <br> ,_] <br> ] </code>

|<!--K-->| <code> k <br> >| <br> |< <br> 1< <br> |c <br> |(</code>7<

<td>'''O'''</td>

|<!--L-->| <code> l <br> 1 <br> 7 <br> 2 <br> £ <br> |_ <br> |</code>

<td><nowiki>0, (), ?p, ö</nowiki></td>

|<!--M-->| <code> m <br> /\/\ <br> /V\ <br> [V] <br> |\/| <br> ^^ <br> <\/> <br> {V} <br> (v) <br> (V) <br> |\|\ <br> ]\/[ <br> nn </code><code> 11 </code>

|<!--N-->| <code> n <br> ^/ <br> |\| <br> /\/ <br> [\] <br> <\> <br> {\} <br> /V <br> ^ <br> ท <br> [[И]] <br> </code>

<td>'''U'''</td>

|<!--O-->| <code> o <br> 0 <br> () <br> oh <br> [] <br> p <br> <> <br> Ø </code>

<td><nowiki>(_), |_|, v, ü</nowiki></td>

|<!--P-->| <code> p <br> |* <br> |o <br> |[[º]] <br> ? <br> |^ <br> |> <br> |" <br> 9 <br> []D <br> |[[°]] |7 </code>

</tr>

|<!--Q-->| <code> q <br> (_,) <br> ()_ <br> 2 <br> 0_ <br> <| <br> & <br> 9 <br> [[¶]] <br> ⁋ <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> [z <br> [[Я]] <br> .- </code> <br> |2 <br> |-

<tr>

3 <br> 4

<td>'''D'''</td>

|<!--S-->| <code> s <br> 5 <br> $ <br> z <br> [[§]] <br> ehs <br> es <br> 2 </code>

<td><nowiki>|), o|, [), I>, |>, ?</nowiki></td>

|<!--T-->| <code> t <br> 7 <br> + <br> <nowiki>-|-</nowiki> <br> '][' <br> [[†]] <br> «|» <br> ~|~ </code>

|<!--U-->| <code> u <br> (_) <br> |_| <br> v <br> L| <br> บ </code>

<td>'''J'''</td>

|<!--V-->| <code> v <br> \/ <br> |/ <br> \| <br> </code>

<td><nowiki>,|, _|, ;</nowiki></td>

|<!--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>[[Omega|ω]]<br /></code>

<td>'''P'''</td>

|<!--X-->| <code> x <br> >< <br> }{ <br> ecks <br> [[×]] <br> [[?]] <br> }{ <br>)(<br> ][ </code>

<td><nowiki>ph, |^, |*, |o, |^(o), |>, |", 9, []D, |̊, |7</nowiki></td>

|<!--Y-->| <code> y <br> j <br> `/ <br> \|/ <br> [[¥]] <br> \//</code><code><nowiki>`|΄ </nowiki></code>

|<!--Z-->| <code> z <br> 2 <br> 7_ <br> -/_ <br> % <br> >_ <br> s <br> ~/_ <br> -\_ <br /> -|_</code>

<td>'''V'''</td>

<td><nowiki>\/, <</nowiki></td>

</tr>

<td>'''E'''</td>

<td><nowiki>3, &, £, ë, €, ê, |=-</nowiki></td>

<td>'''K'''</td>

<td><nowiki>X, |<, |{, ]{, }<, |(</nowiki></td>

<td>'''Q'''</td>

<td><nowiki>9, (,), <|, ^(o)|, ¶, O_</nowiki></td>

<td>'''W'''</td>

<td><nowiki>\/\/, '//, \^/, (n), \V/, \//, \X/</nowiki></td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>'''F'''</td>

<td><nowiki>|=, ph, |#</nowiki>

<td>'''L'''</td>

<td><nowiki>1, 7 (note the interchangeability of 7 for either L, T), |, |_, #, l</nowiki></td>

<td>'''R'''</td>

<td><nowiki>|2, P\, |?, |^, lz, [z, ?</nowiki></td>

<td>'''X'''</td>

<td><nowiki>><,</nowiki> [[Zhe (Cyrillic)|?]]<nowiki>, +</nowiki> <nowiki>or )(</nowiki></td>

</tr>

</table>

In recent years, leet has dropped out of style in some communities. Some gamers and Internet users choose not to use it as they consider it to signify weakness and immaturity rather than coolness or of "having skills/sk1LLz". However, many words from leet are now a significant part of modern Internet culture, such as "[[pwn|pwned]]", the common leet misspellings such as "[[teh]]" (73|-|), and especially the "z" at the end of words, such as "skillz". Another prominent example of a surviving leet expression is the ever-popular "[[woot]]/w00t". Also, gamers for whom using Leetspeak seriously is out of style sometimes use it in an ironic sense, e.g. "ph342 m`/ 1337 sk1llz."

Another ___location for similar text obfuscation is in multiplayer gaming, especially involving other characters from the ASCII set. Some multiplayer games allow for users to be evicted (kicked out) if they are "being n00bs" or generally annoying the crowd, by using a simple command like "!kick username" which works fine as long as the username constitutes letters that can be typed with a normal keyboard. To prevent some kicks, people may use names such as "E'li'†è Hàxo'r" which are more difficult to type in.

An alternate theory for why this obfuscation in gaming exists is that while it is true that the use of text obfuscation helps to prevent kicks, often these characters are used to make the player's name appear unique (perhaps simply because of a nick-clash with another user (or users) of a similar name). One can look at the use of different attributes, such as the ability to change the color of each character in games that support it, as evidence of this theory. This may lead to players feeling that they can "psyche out" the competition, as having spent the effort to make even just their name superior shows their dedication to their skills.

==Leet in other languages==

===Kusachu in Japanese===

The '''Kusachu language''' (クサチュー語 or 勹廾千ｭ―言吾 Kusachū-go) is a form of leetspeak for [[Japanese language|Japanese]] written with a set of characters that replace common [[Hiragana]], [[Katakana]] and some [[Kanji]] characters that look similar to them. It was compiled by Kusare Chubo (腐れ厨房) and is occasionally used on Japanese bulletin boards such as [[2ch]]. "Kusare" means "gone bad" or "rotten", and 厨房 (kitchen) is pronounced the same as 中坊 ("Jr. High Kid", 中=middle and 坊=kid in this context). 厨房 is itself "2ch slang" for dimwit and is not used of real Jr. High children.

Kusachu also resembles (to the point of being almost the same) ギャル文字 ([[gyaru-moji]], "girls' alphabet"), which is common among high-school aged girls. In [[2ch]] slang, words are written using their homonyms or "you" => "u"-like shorthands, e.g. "ドキュン" (dokyun) => "DQN". In gyaru-moji, characters are composed using (sometimes very vaguely) similar-looking characters or their components, e.g. 話 => 言舌, し => ∪, キ => ≠, ハ => / \. Kusachu could be seen as a selective mixture of bohramt.

There are many "dialects" of these, and distinctions are not always easy to draw. The character-splitting style is closest to leet in the sense that it is hard to read for the uninitiated and generally despised of by those who don't use it. The 2ch style is closer to non-leet forms of netspeak, but it does have a comparatively large vocabulary.

Examples of Kusachu:

{| border=1 cellpadding=4 style="border-collapse: collapse;"

|-

|Original

|Converted

|Meaning

|-

|フリー百科事典ウィキペディア

|┐リ―百科事典ゥィ‡∧・〒"ィ了

|The Free Encyclopedia Wikipedia

|-

|あやしい

|ぁゃιぃ

|strange

|-

|爆死

|火暴歹ヒ

|die in an explosion

|}

==Morphology==

[[Category:2ch]]

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

===Cyrillation in Cyrillic languages===

;''-xor'' suffix

: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 [[agent noun]]s from a verb [[stem (linguistics)|stem]]. 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 [[#Owned and pwned|''pwnzor'']] {{IPAc-en|ˈ|oʊ|n|z|ɔːr}}. Additionally, this [[nominalization]] may also be [[inflection|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''.<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 [[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'').<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 [[ampersand]] (''&'') to express the ending sound (e.g. "This is the [[Sandbox (software development)|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==

For IRC and other programs as well as when a suitable character/font set is lacking, some users that use the [[cyrillic alphabet]] (such as in the Russian, Serbian and Bulgarian languages) instead use phonetic versions of normal cyrilic words. They use letters that are similar in both alphabets, and where they need to use a character that isn't present in latin they use an ASCII character that in some way represents the original. This practice is widely popular as it saves time and also gives the text a rather cryptic look, but is sometimes prohibited in BBS and other services because some administrators believe it denigrates the traditional cyrilic alphabet or is harder to read and too informal in most cases. Here is a brief guide to converting a word from cyrilic to latin:

Leet can be pronounced as a single syllable, {{IPA|/ˈliːt/}}, rhyming with ''eat,'' by way of [[Apheresis (linguistics)|apheresis]] of the initial vowel of "elite". It may also be pronounced as two syllables, {{IPA|/ɛˈliːt/}}. Like [[Jargon File|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" ([[SMS language#Common abbreviations|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.

Similar/shared letters: A, E, M, K, O, T;

[[File:Ami encoding.svg|thumb|"1337" represented in both [[binary number|binary]] and [[Bipolar encoding|alternate mark inversion]]]]<!-- [[File:Manchester encoding.svg|thumb|1337 as a [[binary]] representation]] -->

Letters converted by pronunciation: С<->S; Б<->B; Н<->N; B<->V; Х<->H; Л<->L; Ф<->F; Д<->D; З<->Z; У<->U,W; И<->I; Г<->G;

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.<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 "[[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 numeral system|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==

Other converted letters: Ь(silenter)<->X; Я<->Q; Ж(sz)<->J,V; Ъ(somewhat U)<->Y;

[[File:Chaos_Communication_Camp_2007_-_ftp_telnet_tshirt.JPG|thumb|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 "[[#Owned and pwned|pwned]]".<ref name=mitchell/> The original driving forces of new vocabulary in leet were common misspellings and typing errors such as "[[teh]]" (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 ''[[w00t]]'', an exclamation of joy.<ref name=bbc/> 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.

Other Symbols: Ч(ch)<->4; Ш(sh)<->6,[; Щ<->]; Ю(iu)<->\,Z,U sometimes;

Additionally, ''leet''—the word itself—can be found in the [[User (computing)|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]].<ref name=hope>Computer Hope Dictionary.</ref>{{More detail needed}}<!-- This seems short. -->

Pictograms: }|{ - Ж; |-| - H; |-0 - ю, |/| - и, |\/| - м.

<!-- NOTE: ANY FURTHER ADDITIONS MUST HAVE A PROPER REFERENCE OR WILL BE REMOVED PER WP:OR -->

===Terminology and common misspellings===

Note: The usual cyrilation styles are loosely based upon the phonetic and BDS cyrillic keyboard layouts. It is also notable that some characters share their appearance but have different pronunciations in Latin and Cyrillic - for example B in Cyrillic is equal to V in Latin. Alternations of this style are also present in other non-latin alphabets. Pictograms are used for ironic or humorous purposes.

''[[Warez]]'' (nominally {{IPAc-en|w|ɛər|z}}) is a plural shortening of "software", typically referring to cracked and redistributed software.<ref name=hope/> ''[[Phreaking]]'' refers to the hacking of telephone systems and other non-Internet equipment.<ref name=mitchell/> ''[[Teh]]'' 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 [[affricate]] sound that occurs in place of the [[palatal approximant]], {{IPA|/j/}}, when ''you'' follows a word ending in an [[alveolar consonant|alveolar]] [[plosive]] consonant, such as {{IPA|/t/}} or {{IPA|/d/}}. Also, from German, is ''[[wiktionary:über|über]]'', which means "over" or "above"; it usually appears as a prefix attached to adjectives, and is frequently written without the [[Umlaut (diacritic)|umlaut]] over the ''u''.<ref name=dutch>Van de Velde & Meuleman.</ref>

===Greeklish=Haxor inand Greeksuxxor (suxorz)====

''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 [[warez]] culture and is currently{{when|date=February 2023}} 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 (letter)|chi]]) in other words as well.

====n00b====

Another form of [[transliteration]] used for the same reasons as Cyrillization is [[Greeklish]], a way of writing [[Greek language|Greek]] using only Latin characters, punctuation and numerals. Like Cyrillization, Greeklish is often difficult to read even for native speakers and is frequently discriminated against.

{{main|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),<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.

==Leet slang==

===Words===

====Owned and pwned====

For full definitions please see [[Internet slang]].

{{anchor|Pwn}}

{{redirect|Pwn}}

[[File:Laugh-Out-Loud Cats 736.jpg|thumb|An example of the term ''pwned'' in a'' [[Laugh-Out-Loud Cats]]'' comic strip]]

''Owned'' and ''pwned'' (generally pronounced "poned"<ref name="mw">[https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/pwn-what-it-means-and-how-you-say-it Merriam-Webster: What Does 'Pwn' Mean? And how do you say it?]</ref> [pʰo͡ʊnd]) 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 |archive-date=2008-12-09 |access-date=2020-08-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081209072123/http://publik.tuwien.ac.at/files/pub-inf_4395.pdf |url-status=dead }}</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=[https://archive.org/details/secondlifeherald00ludl/page/53 53]|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 ''[[Owned (slang)|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,<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=[[Technology Review]]| volume=111| number=6| pages= 62–67}}</ref> 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!").<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 [[Scrabble]] 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>

* '''b4k4''', from the [[Japan]]ese word "[[Baka (Japanese insult)]]", meaning "idiots" or "stupidity". e.g. "U b4k4 n00b".

* '''b7''' , means "banned", comes from the pun b& (B-And), the & character being above the 7 character on most keyboards.

* '''h4x, h4xx''', [[Hack (technology slang)|"hack", "hacks"]]. Usually programs that allow a user to cheat and gain an unfair advantage in multiplayer games. "H4x" can also refer to overpowered game elements (e.g. "omg that gun is über h4x.").

* '''hax0r, h4x0r, h4xx0r''', "[[Hack (technology slang)|"hack"]]","[[hacker]]". It is possible that the substitution of "ck" with "x" is a linguistic nod to the Greek letter [[chi (Greek letter)|chi]] (see [[TeX]] for the original example of this). However it is also a shortened way of expressing the phonetics of the word as it is "cks" that is being abbreviated to "x", which has the same sound. Sometimes used as a verb (e.g. "I haxx0r you").

* '''j00, j00r, joor,''', "you", "your/you're"

* '''k3wL''', "cool"

* '''m4d sk1llz''', "mad skills", talent of one sort or another; "m4d" itself is often used for emphasis (e.g. "m4d fragging")

* '''n00b''' (also '''n0b'''), "[[newbie]]," most often meant in the derogatory sense.

* '''ph33r''' or '''ph34r''', "fear." Most commonly used as "ph33r m3h!"

* '''[[pr0n]]''', [[pornography]]

* '''[[pwn]]''', to "own" or otherwise completely dominate. Originated due to the proximity of the p and o keys. See main article for alternative spellings of pwn.

* '''r00t''', administrator privileges, from the "[[superuser|root]]" account on [[Unix]]-like systems

* '''-sauce''' (suffix) - is commonly used in leet to turn verbs or adjectives into nouns. e.g. somebody in possession or made of ''leetsauce'' is very leet. "I am sucksauce today" would mean roughly "I suck today."

* '''sploitz''', (short for ''exploits'') a piece of [[computer software]] that takes advantage of a [[Computer bug|bug]], [[glitch]] or [[vulnerability]] → [[exploit (computer science)]].

* '''[[teh]], ''', used in place of "the" as an intensifier. e.g. "I am teh r0xx0r."

* '''uber''', '''ub3r''', '''ub0r''', from the [[German language|German]] word ''[[wiktionary:uber|über]]'', meaning "super" (literally translated "over," the word has taken on a new meaning). Can be used as an adjective (e.g. "I am über.") or adverb (e.g. "I am üb3r-l33t.") Leetspeak purists would maintain that "uber" should be written only as "uber" or "über", with no substitution or capitalization.

* '''übered, üb3r3d''', "über hacked."

* '''[[w00t]]''' or the [[emoticon]] '''\o/''', a common [[interjection]] analogous to "woohoo!"

* '''[[warez]]''', '''w4r3z''', illegally copied software available for download (with copy protection, if any, disabled).

* '''y0''', '''j0''', "yo". A greeting, used as an alternative for "Hi".

=== Use of ''x0r'' =Pr0n====

{{anchor|Pr0n}}

''Pr0n'' is [[slang]] for ''[[pornography]]''.<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, [[Usenet]], chat rooms, and Internet web pages) to circumvent language and [[content filter]]s, which may reject messages as offensive or [[spam (electronic)|spam]]. The word also helps prevent [[search engines]] 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 [[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 [[Role-playing game|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".

== See also ==

Note that the construction "-xor" or any variation thereof can be pronounced variously as "-ker", "-zor", or "-ksor" (the latter two being the way the majority of English speakers would pronounce it).

{{Portal|Internet|Language}}

* [[All your base are belong to us]]

* [[Calculator spelling]]

** [[7-segment display]]

* [[Faux Cyrillic]] and [[Engrish]]

* [[Geek Code]]

* [[Gyaru-moji]], a similar phenomenon in Japanese language

* [[Hexspeak]]

* [[IDN homograph attack]]

* [[Jargon File]], a glossary and usage dictionary of computer programmer slang

* [[LOLCAT]] and its "lolspeak", a similar phenomenon in 21st century English language

* [[Martian language]], a similar phenomenon in Chinese language

* [[Padonkaffsky jargon]], a similar phenomenon in Russian language

* [[SMS language]]

* [[Yaminjeongeum]], a similar phenomenon in Korean language

* [[YOGTZE]] case, involving interpreting the word's letters as digits

==Footnotes==

In the phrase "r0x0rz my b0x0rz" (a phrase expressing approval, especially of something computer-related) for example, the "x0rz" in "b0x0rz" and "r0x0rz" is often pronounced as "ksors".

{{Reflist}}

Originally in this phrase "b0x0rz" refers not to "[[boxer shorts|boxers]]" (i. e. [[undergarment|underwear]]) but actually to "boxes" (in computer slang, [[More boxen|computers]]). The more naïve interpretation "rocks your boxers" is still meaningful however as the sentiment is much the same.

==References==

The term "r0x0r j00r b0x0r" itself is probably a derivation from "r0x0r j00r s0x0r", "rocks your socks". (The phrase "rocks your socks" could be derived from the saying, "It'll knock your socks off.") It should be noted that although the spelling of leet is fairly standardized, pronunciation differs widely, as does the actual [[alphabet]] used. Much depends on which [[forum]], [[newsgroup]], or [[chat room]] the Leetspeak is being spoken in.

{{refbegin|30em}}

* {{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=[[Sigma Tau Delta]], The International English Honor Society. [[Case Western University]], 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=[https://archive.org/details/hackercrackdown00bruc/page/70 70] | 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}}

==Further reading==

An increasingly common use of the "-xor" is changing its grammatical usage to be deliberately incorrect. Instead of using "Bob r0x0r", "Bob am teh r0x0r" is deliberately used to increase the level of irony and to separate it from less ironic, true leetspeak.

* {{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 }}

===Grammar=External links==

{{Wiktionary|leet}}

Leet, like other [[Jargon File|hacker slang]], enjoys a loose grammar. Because the deliberate misusage of grammar, just like spelling, encodes some of the level of emphasis, ironic or otherwise, a reader must rely more on intuitive parsing of the leet-speak to determine the meaning of a sentence than the actual sentence structure. In particular, leet-speakers are fond of [[verbing]] nouns, turning verbs into nouns as forms of emphasis (e.g. ''"Bob rocks"'' is weaker than ''"Bob r0xx0rz"'' (spelling) is weaker than ''"Bob is teh r0xx0r"'' (grammar)). Leet, like in other hacker slang, employs overgeneralization in construction of new words. For example, if ''"h4xx0r3d"'' is the past tense of the verb ''"to hack"'' (hack->haxxor->haxxored), then ''"bl0wz0r3d"'' would be easily understood to be the past tense conjugation of ''"to blow"'', even if the reader had not seen that particular word before. (e.g: ''"I got the quad damage and bl0wz0r3d him up"'').

*{{cite web

| 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)

| work = www.osgu.ac.in/programs [[OM Sterling Global University]]

| archive-url = https://archive.today/20210522164358/https://www.osgu.ac.in/programs/bachelor-of-computer-science-engineering-b-tech-cse-cse-leet/

| archive-date = May 22, 2021

| accessdate = May 22, 2021

| url-status = live

}}

{{Internet Dialects}}

===Use of ''$''===

{{internet slang}}

This is the subject of some controversy among Leet-speakers. While $ is considered an acceptable substitute for "S" in any context by casual users of the language, among the more [[geek|geeky]] it is considered proper usage <u>only</u> when used in an ironic or insulting context with a connotation towards negative aspects of money (e.g. greed, monopoly, big business). i.e. "M$" (MS, short for [[Microsoft]]) is proper usage, but "r0xx0r$" is more properly spelled "r0xx0r5".

{{Authority control}}

===Phonetic spellings===

There are many incarnations of leet, and it is continuously evolving as more people add to it, and thus, a single word can be "spelled" in many different ways. For example, "phonetic" could be ''|>|-|0n371><'', ''p|-|0|\|3+1|<'', ''|>h0|\|371<'', ''ph0n371k''.

Some common spellings:

* "jaja" for "haha" from the Spanish ''j'' sounding like an English ''h''

* "d00d" for "dude"

* "joo" for "you", also written as "j00" or "_|00"

* "ph" for "f", as in "phear" for "fear" ("ph34r my l33t skillz") and vice versa, such as spelling "phonetic" as "f0|\|371("

Note that in true leet, the following are considered improper. They are seen more as [[Instant messenger|IM]] lingo or AOL speak.

* "kewl" or "kwel" or "ku" or "ql" for "cool"

* "r" for "are", "m" for "am", "y" for "why", "d" for "the", "b" for "be", "c" for "see", "u" for "you" (giving the common "c u" for "see you")

* "2" for "to" or "too", "4" for "for" (but note "4" ''can'' also represent an "A" in proper 1337)

* "ne" for "any", "ne1" for "anyone"

* "u 1 2" for "you want to" ("icq"="i seek you" style)

* "nite" for "night"

* "10x" for "thanks"

===Frequent misspellings===

Frequently, common typing errors are also absorbed into leet. Transposition of adjacent characters is a common construction (make->maek, you->yuo). Other common misspellings now standard in leet are:

* "evar" for "ever." This is usually used in the phrase "Best. <something>. Evar." e.g. "Best. Game. Evar."

* German "ist" for "is", often used with word "death". For example, "mp3 ist death."

* "[[pwn]]" or "pwned" for "own" or "owned". This originates from the 'P' key on a [[QWERTY]] keyboard being immediately beside the 'o' key and pressed by the less-than-nimble pinky (little) finger.

* "smrt" or "samrt" for "smart" (The former may also be an intentional reference to an episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' in which [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] misspells ''smart'' in song whilst burning his [[high school]] [[diploma]]: "I am so smart! I am so smart! S-M-R-T! I mean S-M-A-R-T!")

* "[[teh]]" or "t3h" for "the". "Teh" is the seminal and ubiquitous example of the leet letter-transposition construction of words. Also, "teh" can have a different grammatical function than "the", in that it can convert a following word into a noun (e.g. "I am teh r0xx0r.")

As with most alternate leet spellings or grammar, inclusion in a sentence is done on purpose, in order to lighten the mood, strengthen a point, or convey a sense of irony, depending on the context.

===Phrases===

* "WHeRE @Re J00" or "Wh3re aer j00?" for "where are you"

* "wH4+'S j00R nAME" for "what is your name"

* "/\/\?|<£'§ 1££+ §|<?11§ þ|/\||\| _|??", an example of especially obfuscated leet (''see: [[obfuscated code]]''), this translates to "Mike's leet skills own you".

* "g0s\/" for [[gosu]], meaning "pro", from Korean players of [[Starcraft]]

* "skilled r0x0rt looking for a team pgm only high lvl, pv me" for "I'm a qualified player looking forward to be hired by a progaming clan in electronic sports. Contact me now."

* "Leet time", or 13:37

* "1337teen", used commonly on forums and suchlike to denote the 1,337th post, pageviews, etc. eg; "My 1337teenth hit"

* "1 4t3 j00r r4m3n n00d135" for "I ate your ramen noodles"

* "ph33r teh 1337 h4x0r" for "Fear the elite hacker"

* "j00 suX0rz!" or "j00 i5 t3h sux0rz" for "You suck!"

=== Use of ''age'' ===

Many times, a verb will be changed into a noun simply by adding 'age' in addition to adding 'ness' to the end of a verb, such as 'speak' becoming 'speakage' or leet becoming leetness, as in ''1 k//0w 1337//355 5p34k4g3'' or ''h15 pwn4g3 sh00d b3 ph33r3d''.

After use of this started up, some users changed their words from a verb to a noun form, then used it as it a verb again, such as ''h3 pwn4g3d m3''

=== Over-exclamation ===

Another common feature of Leet is over-exclamation, where a sentence is postfixed with many exclamation marks: ''pHu><x0|2z j00 L4yMUr!!!!!!!!!!''

In some cases, because the exclamation symbol (!) resides on the same key as the number one ("1"), over-exclamation can be accidentally typed with extraneous digits, owing to the excitement of the typist: ''y0 d00d th1s 5h1zZ47 R0Xx0rzZ!!!!!11''. This was especially likely in the context of online multiplayer games, such as [[Quake]] and [[RuneScape|Runescape]].

Additionally, the adjacent ~ (tilde) and @ keys may be used in this fashion: ''t3h leik this OwNz!!11!?!??!@!!????//1!!~~'' Some users have adopted this and include it deliberately.

A growing phenomenon is deliberately typing the ''word'' "one": ''pwnz0r3d!!!!!11oneoneone'', and deliberately typing the words "exclamation mark", as in the next example. In some cases, this has been purposely exaggerated for comic or ub3r-L33+ effect, for example, ''L0l!!!11!eleventy-one1!1!11one1!!!exclamationmark!!11oneone!1''. It can also be used to poke fun at users of [[AOL speak]], and other "lesser" cultures. Note that letter-to-number translations tend not to occur within these "oneoneone" blocks.

Another example of accidental misspelling may also be used in this manner, such as "omg!!11oneoneelven", where elven is the misspelling of eleven. On rare occasions "[[zOMG]]!!!!shift+1!!!" has shown up, where the user is taking it further and typing the keyforms that make up letters.

Even more satirical is the insertion of non-one numbers into a phrase as well as improper acronym usage in a humorous way, such as

"[http://bash.org/?505117 OMGBRBBBQ]!!11!11FORTY-TWO!!111!!17!1NINE!1111!1!", where 42 comes in as a joke stemming from the [[Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]] series of novels.

Yet another variation of the use of "one" in over-exclamation [[satire]] is the phrase "eleventyone," a reference to the distinctive way [[Hobbit|hobbits]] say the number 111 (in J.R.R. Tolkien's ''The Fellowship of the Ring''). Hence "LoL!!!!111eleventyoneone!"

Among the most strained echelons of the over-exclamation, particularly related to the number one, are mathematical formulas which would result in one. Example: OMGWTFBBQ!!1![2+(e^(pi*i))]!1!!uno!!

The trend is not limited to English speakers, and in many forums a mix of English and other languages can be observed, for example the [[Germish]], "OMFG das rockt!!!!1111einsshifteins".

==Leet as a spoken language==

Not much thought is given to leet as a spoken language, for reasons relating to its origins as a sort of evolved form of Internet cipher. While Leet can be pronounced, it rarely occurs outside the mediums of multiplayer online gaming and [[Internet Relay Chat|IRC]]. It is not known whether this is because Leet, very uncommonly heard by the human ear outside of individual words which have made their way into the vernacular and slang of our time ("pwned", "roxxed," "haxxor", etc.), produces an unfamiliar and awkward sound for both the speaker and the listener, or whether it is because, for the same reason that abbreviations and ciphers are usually omitted from everyday speech, spoken Leet often takes more time to pronounce and articulate than the original sentence.

There may be people who speak almost entirely in the Leet language with words pronounced as they would be spelled in written Leet, but the only such individuals we know about are fictional (see "Largo", [[Megatokyo]]) in media where there is no spoken word (in this case, a comic). It is commonly said (in jest) that if leet speakers met and attempted to communicate by speech, they would have to communicate through [[subtitles]].

Leetspeak is, however, extremely common in high school gamer groups, especially in those who frequently play LAN/online games such as [[Counter-Strike]], [[Battlefield]], [[Unreal Tournament]], [[Quake]], and others. Often, those with a reasonable amount of playing experience in any of these games will make fun of "[[n00bs]]" by using Leet to intimidate them.

Rarely, with the introduction of such applications as teamspeak and general real life meeting of familiar gamers, some have been known to pronounce the more common terms such as "pwn" (pawn, pown, poon, pween, pwown), "own", and "[[noob]]" (nub, [[noob]], newb, naab, nublet).

==Leet in videogaming==

<!-- please keep alphabetical order, and don't forget links to games' page! -->

===[[.hack]] (Dot Hack)===

In the [[anime]], [[Computer and video games|video game]], [[manga]] and [[book]] franchise ''[[.hack]]'', there is a character named Sora. In the original Japanese versions of the various media, he adds sound effects and assorted strange phrases to his regular speech. In the fourth video game of the franchise, he is a playable character. In that game, his speech turned out to be a problem for the translators. As a solution, it was transposed into Leet, the closest English equivalent.

===[[Age of Mythology]]===

One of the cheats available in the game [[Age of Mythology]] is "L33T SUPA H4X0R". This cheat allows you to construct, train and research faster.

===[[Alien Hominid]]===

The console version of ''[[Alien Hominid]]'' uses the term "pwned" in one of its mini-games. [[Tom Fulp]], the main writer and programmer for the orginal version, is deemed a "31173 |-|4x0|^" for creating the website [http://www.newgrounds.com Newgrounds.com].

===[[Anarchy Online]]===

A "Leet" is also the name of a furry, cuddly creature in the online massively multiplayer role playing game, ''[[Anarchy Online]]''. Leets are cuddly, speak in leet speak, and, within the game's story, are considered a nuisance. The names of the various kinds of leets found in the game world play on leet, with progressively stronger leets named Leet, Eleet, Leetas, Soleet, Phear Leet and Supa Leet, in addition to special unique leets named Joo and Ownz. Their cuteness has in many ways made them a mascot for the game, with calls for plush leet dolls being common, and a special set of leet pets being the pre-order gift for Alien Invasion, Anarchy Online's third expansion.

===[[Batman Begins (game)|Batman Begins]]===

In the Batman Begins video game, the keypad code to enter a computer room is 1337.

===[[Battlefield 2]]===

In single player mode if you kill 100 bots with no deaths a message will appear from one of the bots saying "joo R 1337!!1"

===[[City of Heroes]]===

Two of the Freakshow villains in the [[Massively Multiplayer Online Game|MMOG]] ''[[City of Heroes]]'' are named TeH OwNz0r! and TeH PwNxxOrz.

===[[Destroy All Humans!]]===

Players can enter a code in the spacecraft menu that gives out 1,337 DNA points.

===[[EverQuest]]===

In the Mines of Gloomingdeep zone, one of the [[Mob (computer gaming)|MOBs]] is called "Clockwork MCCCXXXVII"; MCCCXXXVII is 1337 in Roman numerals.

===[[Full Spectrum Warrior]]===

One of the characters in [[Full Spectrum Warrior]], Pvt. Ota or Samuel Jay, speaks leet. A quote from the official website: "He loves his PC, a 1337 over-clocked screamer with OTT case mods."

===[[Kingdom of Loathing]]===

''[[Kingdom of Loathing]]'' has many sarcastic references to 1337, including an enemy known as "1335 haXxor"(Not quite 1337), the item "1337 7r0uz3rz", and practically all of the events encountered in the Valley of Rof L'Mao.

===[[Pocket Kingdom: 0wn the W0rld|Pocket Kingdoms]]===

[[N-Gage]] [[MMORPG]] ''[[Pocket Kingdom: 0wn the W0rld]]'' makes heavy use of Leet and gamer slang in its [[Non-player character]]'s dialogue. It does so with a comic intent: the game's tagline is "Own the World," which is in itself a reference to the Leet phenomenon. This is partly due to the game being based upon the online community.

===[[Psychonauts]]===

In ''[[Psychonauts]]'', there is a cheat code which, when activated, translates all the captions to 1337speak, and replaces the character names with those of people who worked on the game. (such as Coach Oleander translating into [[Tim Schafer]].)

===[[Star Wars: Republic Commando]]===

In ''[[Star Wars: Republic Commando]]'', one of the commandos named Scorch, when ordered to slice a terminal, will sometimes say "no terminal can withstand my [[l33t]] [[h4x0r]] ski11z".

===[[The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind]]===

In the strictly single-player [[computer role-playing game|RPG]] Morrowind, an [[easter egg]] Non-playable character can be asked about 'multiplayer' in the game. The answer given: "You wish others to help you in your quest? Coward! If you must, search for the Argonian Im-Leet, or perhaps the big Nord, Rolf the Uber. They will certainly wish to join you." The two names are in style with the rest of the game, but with a touch of [[1337]]. There is also a hidden instrument item, a lute, named the "Phat Lute," another reference to leet-speak.

===[[Tony Hawk's Underground]]===

One of the characters on ''[[Tony Hawk's Underground]]'' says "l33t" and "r00l" and an online message says "I own3d j00." In its [[Tony Hawk's Underground 2|sequel]], one of the objectives in the story mode is "Berlin Gets Owned", in which the player needs to destroy a billboard so that it reads "owned."

=== [[World of Warcraft]] ===

One mini-boss in Blizzard's ''[[World of Warcraft]]'', [[List of Warcraft characters#Rend Blackhand|Rend Blackhand]], will sometimes shout "Woot!" when the battle goes in his favor: [http://www.discofiend.com/wow/rend_woot.jpg Screenshot with additional 1337speek] Another boss, [[List of Warcraft characters#Postmaster Malown|Postmaster Malown]], will yell that someone has just been "Malowned" when he kills a character.

There is a sub-boss in the low level instance "The [[Deadmines (Warcraft)|Deadmines]]" called [[List of Warcraft characters#Rhahk'Zor|Rhahk'Zor]], pronounced the same as "R0XX0R". Additionally, a quest in [[Locations_in_the_Warcraft_Universe#Un.27goro_Crater|Un'Goro Crater]] invents a plane that the goblin proposes to call "Pwned".

==Sociological aspects of Leet==

[[Image:Anzeigen(Displays).jpg|300px|left|thumb|A hidden message on the [[display device]] page.]]

Leetspeak can be said to be an expression of some general laws of [[sociology]] as it applies to small [[tribes]] or [[cliques]] which strive to maintain a sense of [[elitist]] [[cultural identity]] and uniqueness in the midst of the 'ignorant masses' by inventing [[linguistic]] and [[fashion]] styles. Such behavior is deeply ingrained in the human psyche, perhaps to the point of being encoded in the [[genes]]. In literature, the book ''[[Lord of the Flies]]'' depicts the evolution of such behavior.

Leetspeak often represents an intermediate stage in a user's use of the Internet. First there is the "[[newbie]]" stage, where the user is ignorant about the customs and language of the Internet. Next there is the Leet stage, where the user has obtained enough information to "speak leet" to prove his superiority over "newbies" or to simply shorten typing time. Grammar (especially capitals, etc.) is often ignored in this stage. Many Internet users of high school age are in this stage. The third and final stage is a more mature stage, where most words are spelled in full and grammar is used correctly. Most major websites are hosted by people in this stage—highly Internet savvy people who only use leet sarcastically.

One of the currently important uses of such devices as Leetspeak is to allow some legitimate discourse on some subjects that cross the boundary of 'political correctness' in many tightly controlled communication media. It is also sometimes used as a way to imply certain impolite expressions without causing offense (the emotive impact of these words in raw language overwhelm their denotive meaning), similar to the !@!*@($%) type expressions commonly seen in cartoons to indicate cursing (the desire is to interject the meaning without the negative impact). Another common use is to avoid activating automatic filtering systems which will intercept many expressions that are thought to indicate illicit content. Again the normal objective is to exercise free speech, not illicit activity in the general sense of the word. Banning of forms of expression by authorities has made the use of alternate language forms a common tool of expression down through the ages. The use of "P0rn" (or "pr0n") for instance to reference pornography in serious discourse to avoid an automatic e-mail filter from killing the conversation is a simple example.

==See also==

*[[ASCII art]]

*[[Cant (language)|Canting]]

*[[Emoticon]]

*[[Internet slang]]

*[[Jeff K.]]

*[[Hexspeak]]

*[[Pig Latin]]

*[[Megatokyo]], a comic in which some characters speak in L33t

*[[Txt msg]]

*[[Typographical error]]

*[[Verlan]]

*[[Volapuk encoding]]

*[[Script kiddie]]

*[[BattleDuck]]

*''[[Tales for the L33t]]''

===Examples of leetspeak===

*[[B1FF]], the stereotypical [[newbie]]

*[[Escape (Journey album)|ESC4P3]], an album by the band [[Journey (band)|Journey]]

*[[Pwn]], a verb meaning 'to beat' (someone)

*[[Reanimation]], Linkin Park's album of remixed songs (the singles are written in leet)

*[[Teh]], a common misspelling now used for superlative form

*[[w00t]], acronym for "We Owned the Other Team," where "owned" is a variant of "pwned"

*[[l33t programming language]]

*[[Roxor Games]], video game publisher

*[[S1m0ne]], a 2002 science-fiction drama film

*[[b3ta]], humorous British website, described as a "puerile digital arts community"

==External links==

* [http://www.docdroppers.org/wiki/index.php?title=A_history_of_31337sp34k 2600 Article by StankDawg that provides an account of the origins and is refenced by other articles below.]

* [http://www.verbumvanum.org/kristof/index.html Lexical tensions in Internet English: 1337 as language? (by Kristof Van de Velde and Jeroen Meuleman)]

* [http://www.goshen.edu/~sashamd/l33t/ 'L33t' as Dialect? A History and Analysis] by Sasha Dyck

* [http://www.google.com/intl/xx-hacker/ Leet Google] Google in Leet

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A787917 An h2g2 Explanation of l33t Speak]

* [http://www.aquarionics.com/article/name/A_Basic_History_of_l337_Sp3aK A Basic History of l337 Sp3aK @aquarionics.com]

* [http://home.no.net/hellshl/main/translate.html The Ultra-1337 Translator]

* [http://www.christianhacker.org/html/NHV.html NHV (New Hacker Version) Bible Transliteration by the Christian Hackers' Association]

* [http://www.straightdope.com/columns/030110.html The Straight Dope: What the heck is "leetspeak?"]

* [http://umanwizard.com/1337.html The Anti 1337 Manifesto]

* [http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/children/kidtalk.mspx A parent's primer to computer slang: Understand how your kids communicate online to help protect them] &mdash; [[Microsoft]]'s guide to computer slang

[[Category:Leet| ]]

[[Category:Alphabets]]

[[Category:Encodings]]

[[Category:In-jokes]]

[[Category:Internet culture]]

[[Category:Internet memes]]

[[Category:Internet slang]]

[[Category:FamousLatin-script numbers|1337representations]]

[[Category:ObfuscationNerd culture]]

[[Category:Nonstandard spelling]]

{{jargon}}

[[Category:1990s slang]]

[[de:Leetspeak]]

[[es:Leet]]

[[fr:1337 5p34k]]

[[gl:Leet]]

[[ko:리트]]

[[it:Leet]]

[[nl:Leet]]

[[ja:クサチュー語]]

[[pl:Hack mowa]]

[[simple:Leet]]

[[fi:Leetspeak]]

[[sv:Leet]]