Leet
Leet (often l33t, 31337 or 1337) is a coded, or simply a novelty form of English spelling. It is characterized by the use of non-alphabet characters to stand for letters bearing a superficial resemblance, and by a number of quasi-standard spelling changes such as the substitution of "z" for final "s" and "x" for "ck". It is often used on the Internet by script kiddies, crackerss and gamers. Even lamers are beginning to pick up parts of it. Real hackers, in the traditional sense, do not use l33tspeak, because it is assocated with the script kiddies most hackers find loathsome. Occasionally, a hacker may use l33tspeak ironically, or dO tHiS SImilaR bUt uNRElaTEd ThINg wiTh capItaL LettERs, but the latter activity is rare. Note that true leetspeak is spelled correctly, with the exceptions described above. The use of extreme short forms (Such as b, or u) is not considered leet or leetspeak; instead, it is referred to by such terms as "AOL speak" because such habits are associated with people who chat with MSN Messenger or AOL Instant Messenger.
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2 Examples 3 Phonetic spellings 4 Frequent misspellings 5 Other examples 6 Common letter-to-number or letter-to-symbol translations 7 See also 8 External links |
The term "leet" comes from the word "elite". Leet can be either be pronounced as "leet" (monosyllabic, rhymes with "eat") or by pronouncing the L separate from the rest of the word as "elle eat" (elite). The most probable explanation of its origin is from bulletin board systems in the 1980s and early 1990s where having "elite" status on a BBS allowed a user access to file areas, games, and special chat rooms, often including archives of pirated software, pornography, and text files of dubious quality documenting topics such as how to construct explosives and manufacture illegal drugs. It may also have developed to defeat text filters created by BBS sysops for message boards to discourage the discussion of forbidden topics (such as cracking).
Leet is also known as hakspek or leetspeak, especially when used to shorten messages. This type of Leet may have been developed to decrease bandwidth usage before the bandwidth explosion of the 1990s. It is also regaining popularity in SMS (Short Message Service) mediums, especially among users of Trillian.
Leet is a form of written slang. It is used to create group identity, and to obscure meaning from outsiders, especially newbies (which may be written "n00bs"). It also establishes a hierarchy, as more complex forms of leet 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 leet are making their way into the mainstream, as employees whose companies use email filters resort to creative spellings to prevent swearwords from being censored.
Websites exist that are written entirely in leet. There are also converter programs which amusingly render ordinary English text into leet, at varying levels of complexity.
Frequent typos are also absorbed into leet, such as
"WHeRE @Re J00 " for "where are you"
Leet also draws elements from Engrish, such as "b4k4" (baka), a Japanese term for "fool". Lately, leet draws more and more from Japanese slang, due to the increasing fascination of leet-speakers with it.Overview
Examples
Phonetic spellings
Note that in true leet, the following are considered improper.
Frequent misspellings
Other examples
"wH4+'S uR nAME " for "what is your name"
| A | 4 or /\\ or @ | G | 9 or 6 | M | //. or ^^ or |v| or |\\/| or /\\/\\ or (u) | S | 5 or $ | Y | Y or '/ or `/ or \\-/ |
| B | 6 or |3 or 8 or |> | H | # or |-| or ]~[ | N | // or ^/ or |\\| or /\\/ | T | 7 or + or -|- | Z | 2 |
| C | [ or ¢ or ( | I | 1 or ! or | | O | 0 or () | U | (_) or |_| |
| D | |) or o| | J | ,| or _| | P | |* or |o or |" | V | \\/ or < |
| E | 3 or & | K | |< or |{ | Q | 9 or (,) | W | \\/\\/ or '// or \\^/ or (n) |
| F | |= | L | 1 or | or |_ | R | |2 | X | >< or }{ |
"leet speak" (which is never capitalized) seems to be following the natural evolutionary process of languages, which may be illustrated as follows (intended to be humourous, though largely true)
English --> Engrish --> 3ngl!sh --> 1100101001
Starting with plain english, the Lingua Franca seems to be changing at a much more rapid pace due to the influence of technology, represented by the native Japanese speaker's pronunciation of "Engrish". The Japanese were the world's major technology producer during the last quarter of the 20th century. See also All Your Base Are Belong To Us. The internet's influence is represented by "3ngl!sh", which is considered typical leet speak. And finally, a random string of binary digits, representing the inexorable melding of language with technology.