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{{English dialects}}
''There is some dispute regarding whether Leet is an actual language or not, and, therefore, whether the use of the [[Template:Language|Language infobox]] is justified. Please see [[Talk:Leet|the Talk page]] for details.''
</table>
{{language
|name=Leetspeak
|nativename=13375p34k
|familycolor=constructed language
|creator=Origins from hackers on [[Bulletin board system]]s
|setting=[[Internet]], [[Cryptography]] <!--Please see talk before changing this line -->
|posteriori=[[English language|English]]
|date=[[1980]]
|notice=nonotice
}}
[[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]].]]


The name '' '''Leet''' '' generally refers to a linguistic phenomenon associated with [[the Internet]]. Leet is defined in terms of the corruption or modification of written text. For example, the term "leet" itself is often written "l33t" or "1337." Such corruptions are frequently referred to as "Leetspeak" or "L33t5p34k," et cetera (see below for cipher definitions). In addition to corruption of standard language, new [[colloquialism]]s have been added to the parlance. It is also important to note that Leet itself is not solely based upon one language or character set. In fact, [[Greek]], [[Russian]], [[Chinese]], and other languages have been subjected to the Leet "cipher." 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.
'''Leet''', usually written as "'''l33t'''" or "'''1337'''" in '''Leetspeak''', is an online culture and/or attitude, as well as a language code (although the language code was originally refered to as "kr4g" or "krag"), among the [[Internet]] population. The word itself is derived [[phonetics|phonetically]] from the word "[[elite]]", and is a [[cipher]], or cryptic form of spelling replacing letters with numbers, symbols, and other letters that look or sound alike. Leetspeak was first used on [[Bulletin Board System]]s, and then later adopted by users of [[Online Multiplayer Games]] and other [[Internet]] communities.


== Origins ==
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.


The name ''Leet'' itself is derived from the word ''[[elite]]''. Elite has been used in the past to designate a group of users as belonging to a higher social echelon than other users. Originally, "elite" had been reduced to one syllable, "'leet."
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]]. Example: Demented_SCV is 1337.


Leet has its basis in written communication over electronic media. Most simply, it evolved as a way of forming exclusive [[clique]]s in on-line communities, notably [[Bulletin Board System]]s and [[Online Multiplayer Games|online multiplayer games]] (see [[Examples of Leet in videogaming]]). The mechanism was simple: by taking standard text and corrupting it with a dynamic cipher, only those privy to the cipher could understand what was being conveyed in the ciphertext. Through this, newcomers to a given community were excluded from communication with those who had defined the cipher.
==Overview==
The term ''Leet'' is derived from the word ''[[elite]]''. Leet can be either pronounced as "Leet" (monosyllabic - rhymes with "feet" [[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. 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.


After the dawn of Leet on bulletin boards and other non-real-time communications media, Leet found something of a renaissance in real-time protocols such as [[Internet Relay Chat]] ('''IRC''') and [[Instant messaging]] (such as AIM). It can be said that something of a conflict existed between those who used Leet in communication on such realtime services, and those who did not.
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 commonly banned.


Through this process, Leet acquired an expanded vocabulary. As Internet slang grew (such as [[w00t]], [[teh]], and so on), it was absorbed into Leet (and subsequently enciphered). Along the way, additional languages began to be enciphered with Leet-like processes (see ''"krieg,"'' ''"ist"'' below). In this regard, Leet resembles a [[creole]] or [[pidgin]] [[polyglot]].
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", "h4cker", "h4x0r", "haxx0r" or even "h4xx0r". 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><()|2"). Eventually the BBS operators realized that there was no way of banning words in a [[polymorphic]] language like Leet and gave up.


In addition to the broader vocabulary, Leet's ciphers became even more complex and dynamic. Where originally, a one-to-one relationship existed between the source and cipher text (such as "e" -> "3"), newer one-to-many and many-to-many ciphers began to emerge (such as "a" -> "@", "4", and so on).
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 like to 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.
[[Image:Leetspeak.png|thumb|250px|right|For those who do not normally read or write like this, automatic translators facilitate ciphering and deciphering Leet. ]]
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 [[Internet forum|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. Non-satirical purposes are usually viewed upon as a trademark of newbies among computer-orientated forums, and despite popular media belief, most computer forums encourage correct spelling and grammar.


Several outside sources have been instrumental in the formation and evolution of Leet as a dialect or cipher. Primarily, the exclusive nature of enciphering text in communities drove the evolution of the cipher. Additionally, in online games where certain text was forbidden (such as swearing, causing corruptions like "[[fuck]]" -> "phux0red"), newer, more clever ciphers had to be created to prevent software limitations from hindering communication. The same sort of evolution has been spurred by [[e-mail]] content filters which may prevent a user from including certain words in their "written" communication. As such, in addition to the socially exclusionary properties of using a cipher, it may be said that Leet is used as a means to defeat [[regular expression]] engines used for matching content in written communication.
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/].


More recently, the exclusive value of Leet as a cipher has been reduced. As Leet has become popular in the common Internet "vernacular," many users who would previously have been excluded by enciphered text have "caught on" to the cipher. Even highly irregular ciphers (see below for a full discussion of various ciphers) have proven to be easily decipherable by users determined to do so. Because of this, using Leet in discussion has become something of a novelty or [[joke]]. Users, instead of attempting to exclude other people with the cipher, have instead been using Leet to indicate that they are part of the Leet-using [[counterculture]], or to mock the existence therein.
Leet is also used by crackers and authors of viruses. The widespread [[backdoor]] program [[Back Orifice]] used [[port (computing)|port]] number 31337 (ELEET) to gain access to unsecured Windows computers.


Curiously, as Leet's effectiveness as a cipher has waned, the language has evolved due to its continued use in communities which tend to value it solely for humor value. The process of using Leet for humor, combined with its highly flexible and dynamic nature, causes it to metamorphose into further derivations of its original cipher. Thus, the language evolves, its vocabulary expands, and new expressions emerge from older constructs.
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 is known for its playful and unconventional [[Bump_%28television%29|bumps]], has used phrases like 'h4h4, we 0w|\|3d j00!' ("Haha, we owned you!") after a 'prank' was pulled.


== Sociological considerations ==
==Common transliterations==

(subject to a great deal of individual variation):
Leet can be defined as an expression of the general laws of [[sociology]] as it applies to small [[tribes]] or [[cliques]]. Leet is a manifestation of the need to maintain an [[elitist]] [[cultural identity]] in the midst of 'outsiders' (in this case, ''ignorant masses''). In so doing, users have invented novel [[linguistic]] and [[fashion]] styles. Such is common [[human behavior]], and many other [[linguistics|linguistic]] behaviors (such as [[Idioglossia]]) have similar mechanisms and effects. In literature, an example of this behavior can be found in ''[[Lord of the Flies]]''.

A trajectory through social acceptance on the Internet could be seen as:
# The "newbie" stage, wherein a user is ignorant about languages and customs.
# A "Leet" stage, where a user may over-compensate in their actions, by using Leet excessively, so as to "fit in" with the "elite" social cadre. These users may also attempt to ostracize other users who have not progressed to such a stage.
# A more "orthodox" stage, in which attention is paid to grammar and spelling. Communities seeking credibility in the eyes of the rest of the Internet may seek to portray this level of maturity. It is at this stage when Leet is most used in a [[sarcasm|sarcastic]] tone.

Yet another view is that obsessive attention to grammar, vocabulary, and spelling is increasingly outmoded on the current medium (the Internet) or the current period (of increasing [[internationalism]]). Underemployed [[academic]]s - a group that is well known for fastidious attention to [[spelling]] - may constitute a large portion of the group that assess themselves as highly Internet-savvy, and (conversely) Leet users somehow less-savvy. While [[the academy]], (the prime locus of the aforementioned group) may serve as a [[conservatory]] for [[Standard English]], live languages are known to evolve (sometimes rapidly).

It may be said that part of the difficulty around use of the Leet dialect is due to the fact that it is an early example of emergent language in a non-spoken medium. As language universally has arisen out of spoken communication, a dialect which arises out of a [[polyglot]] of written languages and [[slang]] does not fit into the normal descriptions of language. As such, it is not offered any protection based upon ethnicity or nationality (whereas speakers of [[Italian]] in a primarily [[German]] speaking forum may expect some deference based on Italian being their native language, users of Leet may have no such consideration).

As such, Leet has been viewed almost universally as a misuse of language, as well as a misuse of resources. Users who do not engage in "Leet speak" complain that having to de-cipher the text is irritating. Conversely, users who do engage in the practice tend to argue that they are not intending for non-Leet-speaking users to read their communication.

Ironically, despite the fact that Leet itself does not symbolize any one ethnicity or nationality, it does represent a homologous group of users: "residents" of the Internet. Similarly, the position that use of Leet is indicative of level of Internet mastery may seem a thinly-veiled [[nationalist]] or [[ethnocentric]] criticism (cf. the [[English-Only movement]]; the [[Ebonics]] Controversy).

Because of the problems surrounding its lack of a spoken component, as well as its (seemingly) [[ethnocentrism|ethnocentric]] beginnings, there has recently been something of a [[stigma]] attached to use of the Leet cipher. Because of its popularity with [[children]], [[parenting]] organizations have seen fit to warn parents about the cipher. Parents, it is reasoned, may not be able to understand what their children are saying in [[email]], [[Short message service|SMS]]'s, or instant messenging, and dismiss it as nonsense. It is argued that children may be discussion such nefarious things as [[drug use]] or [[software piracy]]. [http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/children/kidtalk.mspx Guides] have been published to help parents decipher their children's Leet-enciphered communication.

Despite the hurdles to attaining social acceptance, Leet has become such a part of common culture that the cipher is used even in mainstream advertising, such as the [[Sears]] [[Kenmore]] ''"HE4T"'' [[washing machine]] and [[clothes dryer|dryer]]. Entire websites have been written with the Leet cipher, such as [[Something Awful]]'s [[JeffK]], and [[Google]]'s "xx-hacker" [http://www.google.com/intl/xx-hacker/ dialect]].

== 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 [[morpheme]]s, the set of transliterations and corruptions increases. As the cipher was originally based upon [[English]] and the [[Latin alphabet]], it is possible to derive a very basic set of common transliterations and corruptions.

=== Common transliterations ===

The cipher itself is highly dynamic, and subject to stylistic interpretation. A simple list of transliterations follows:


{| class="wikitable" style="empty-cells: show;"
{| class="wikitable" style="empty-cells: show;"
Line 100: Line 111:
|}
|}


J, Q, and Y typically are not transliterated and are used as themselves. There are some common leet alternatives for other sounds, e.g. "cks" is often replaced with an "x" as in "hax0r" and "sux0rs" (hacker and sucks/suckers). When characters such as € and ü are used (ones where you need to hold alt and type numbers, for example), it usually designates a n00b talking. 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]]", and especially the "z" at the end of words, such as "skillz". Another prominent example of a surviving leet expression is the ever-popular "[[w00t]]". Gamers — for whom using Leetspeak is seriously out of style — sometimes use it in an ironic sense, e.g. "ph34/2 m`/ 1337 sk1llz." ("Fear my leet skills.")
J, Q, and Y typically are not transliterated and are used as themselves. There are some common Leet alternatives for other sounds, e.g. "cks" is often replaced with an "x" as in "hax0r" and "sux0rs" (hacker and sucks/suckers). Characters such as € and ü are used, usually designating a new user or new member of the community.


Additionally, letters in the middle of words may be transposed. This has become the subject of some discussion in the linguistics community [http://www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/~mattd/Cmabrigde/]. People seem to be able to discern meaning from words in which the first and last letters are correctly placed, even if the intervening leters are incorrectly placed.
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.


==== The mispelling of "!" ====
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 "psych out" the competition, as having spent the effort to make even just their name superior shows their dedication to their skills.


* The number 1 and the word "one" instead of exclamation points (!). Often used to show intense sarcasm (OMG I R TEH BEST!!!!11!one!11). Further, another common usage in this context is "eleven" as a substitute for multiple exclamation marks, as in: "I r0xx0red j00!!!!1!!11one!!eleven!!". Again this context denotes (extreme) sarcasm.
==Leet in other languages==
* Along this line is the mispelling of "?" following the same line of "!" The most common being "/" and "slash", as in: W@t r j00 ta1kin b0u+, n00b???//??/?slash? ("What are you talking about noob?")
* In addition to the "one," "two," and "slash" being used to accentuate the sarcasm of the statement, "+shift" or "+shifty" is used in the same manner, for example: "NOWAI!!11one1!one+shifty"


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.
===Hong Kong Leet===
This form is often seen in the forums of Hong Kong. It is written by breaking characters containing multiple [[radical (Chinese character)|radicals]] into separate characters. It is not clear whether this form is viewed as less rude, or if it is just used as a way to get around automatic censoring software.


==== Word endings ====
Examples of Hong Kong Leet:

===== Use of ''x0r'' and "z0r" =====

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).

Originally in the phrase "r0x0r j00r b0x0rz", "b0x0rz" refers not to "[[boxer shorts|boxers]]" (i.e. [[undergarment|underwear]]) but actually to "boxes" (in computer slang: computers, though ''[[boxen]]'' 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.

The term "r0x0r j00r b0x0r" itself probably relates to [[hacking]] itself, with a person being able to gain access to and, from there, "rock their box". It is also possible that it is a derivative from "r0x0r j00r s0x0r", "rocks your socks". (The phrase is used to denote some magnitude or importance)

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" or "Bob are teh r0x0r" is deliberately used to increase the level of irony and to separate it from less ironic, true Leet. -xor is also sometimes used in user nicknames (e.g: ''"Luxxor"'').

Due to the phonetic sound of "xor" (ksor), Leet speakers quickly began using "zor" and "zorz" as well and in similar context. "zorz" however is often used on the end of every major word in a sentence for comedic effect such as "H0ly sh1tzorz j00 0wnzorzed himzorz upz!1"

Additionally, the suffix "izzle" may be added to words in the same way as "zor," "xor," and similar may be used. This practice entered the popular culture based upon [[Rap|rapper]] [[Snoop Dogg]]'s use of the term.

===== Use of the ''-age'' suffix =====

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

Due to the fluid nature of Leet, such (derived) nouns can subsequently be used (again) as verbs: "h3 pwn4g3d m3," for example.

===== Words ending in ''-ed'' =====

Words ending in ''-ed'' may have ''-nt'' substituted. A common example of this would be ''pwned'' -> ''pwnt''. This should not be confused with misspellings such as ''samrt'' for ''smart''.

==== The grammar ====

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 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. ''"Bob rocks"'' is weaker than ''"Bob r0xx0rz"'' (spelling) is weaker than ''"Bob is t3h 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"'').
''"Pwnz0r3d"'' is used often in the same way as pwned hence ''"1 pwnz0r3d his @$5 L4s+ N1gh+ on C$''" (I pwned his ass last night on CS ([[Counter-Strike]]))

==== Rhyming and rhythm ====

While Leet is not generally spoken, it can be deemed close to [[Timing (linguistics)|stress-timed]]. Care is taken by users of Leet to combine similarly timed words, or to encipher words into ways such that they have a common rhythm or rhyme. The archetypal example of this is the phrase "roffle my woffles" (note both spelling error, "woffle", and word timing). Other examples would be "r0xed j00r s0x" (in this case, only matching sounds). Leet can be highly lyrical and stylistic (even [[poetry|poetic]]) the way a typical [[pidgin]] language can be.

==== Over-exclamation and other emphasis ====

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]]. Some Leet speakers purposely type exactly one "1" for every 3 "!"s. This is a satire of noob players who let go of the shift key too soon and some of their intended exclamation marks become the number 1.

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 effect, for example, ''L0l!!!11!eleventy-one1!1!11one1!!!exclamationmark!!11oneone!1''. It can also be used to poke fun at users of [[AOLese|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 ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy|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![[Euler's identity|[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".

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". Also common is "NOWAY" (from "no way"). Constructions such as these are frequently reduced to abbreviations when their use becomes frequent, and repeated typing becomes time consuming (such as "holy fucking shit" -> "HOLYFUCKINGSHIT" -> "HFS!").

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

Many words originally derived from Leet slang have now become part of the modern Internet slang, such as "[[pwn|pwned]]". Additionally, the common (intentional) misspellings such as "[[teh]]", and especially the "z" at the end of words ("skillz"). Another prominent example of a surviving Leet expression is the ever-popular "[[w00t]]". Gamers in particular may use Leet in a sarcastic manner, e.g. "ph34/2 m`/ 1337 sk1llz" ("Fear my leet skills"), as the practice is frowned upon by the community.

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) by issuing a simple command such as "!kick username." To foil this method, some users have resorted to making their usernames difficult to type. An example of this would be "E'li'†è Hàxo'r".

Additionally, new words (or corruptions thereof) may arise from a need to make one's username unique. As Internet gaming reaches more people, the number of names available to a given user is drastically reduced. While many users may wish to have the username "[[Muad'Dib]]", in many cases it is only possible for one user to have the monniker. As such, degradations of the name may evolve, such as "M00ad'd33b" and so on. As the Leet cipher is highly dynamic, there are virtually limitless combinations of [[phoneme]]s and transliterations.

In addition to the common transliterations and enciphering, misspelling (intentionally) is particularly prevalent in Leet dialects.

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

* "evar", "evah", and "eva" for "ever." Generally used the phrase "Worst. <something>. Evar." (Worst. Game. Evar.) This construct is largely credited as a reference to a phrase oft uttered by [[The Comic Book Guy]], a recurring character on ''[[The Simpsons]]''.
* [[German]] "ist" for "is" has crept into Leet, including [[English]] encipherings. Frequently used with word "death". (mp3 ist death.) Also, "krieg" &mdash; German for "war" &mdash; in this context means, approximately, "favourable". (mp3 ist krieg). This may be a parody of the [[nargaroth]] song [[Black Metal ist Krieg|Black Metal Ist Krieg]]. Tends to be especially prevalent in [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]] communities.
* "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 archetypal example of Leet's letter-transposition construction. Additionally, "teh" may have a different grammatical function than "the". Consider the following: "I rock" versus "I am teh r0xx0r."
* "gom" for "omg" for "oh my god/gosh!". Originating from gomgomgom in which the user moved the last g to the beginning.
* "pron", "prawn", "pr0n", etc., for ''[[pornography|porn]]''. Due to the prevalence of pornography in Leet-speaking communities, "porn" has many derivatives.

==== Kekeke ====

It is widely believed that the expression "kekeke" comes from the Korean players of [[Starcraft]] who have a key on their keyboards that they use to express giggling or laughter and when typed in an English server it apears as the text "ke". It is commonly associated with the shallow but effective tactic in the game of amassing a large force of units known as Zergling or any type of Zerg unit and rushing the enemy base before they can properly defend themselves. The phrase "Zerg rush! kekeke!!" is often used out of context for any form of rushing or [[Blitzkrieg]] tactic, sometimes replacing "Zerg" with what suits the situation. In general, "kekeke" is used by North American and European gamers to mock both Korean adolescents and the Starcraft or even the whole Real Time Strategy community.

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

Originating from a common misspelling of the word "own" (due to the proximity of 'P' and 'O' keys on Latin keyboards), [[pwn]] refers to the domination of a player in a video game (rather than just a win). For example, one pwning another is equivalent to scoring a dramatic kill, or several kills, in a video game shooter, against the other person. Similarly, to "get pwned" means that a more skilled player in a game has scored a convincing or even humiliating victory against you. Outside games 'pwnd' describes being in a highly humiliating position. The term "z0r" may also be suffixed for added affect: "pwnz0red". There is also pwnt, pwnded, and owndizzled.

Pwned can be pronounced phonetically several ways; Usually, the pronunciation is "owned", "powned", "punt", "pawned", "pooned", or "pioned". In terms of extreme excitement or joy, a Leet speaker may use the terms "pwikiwoned!!" or "pwakawakaowned!!".

The origin of the term is controversial and many claim to have invented it. Due to its nature, the error is most likely to have occured in several places at the same time, similar to the discovery of the [[J/ψ particle|J/ψ]]. The term may have originated from the relative proximity of the letter 'p' of pwned to the 'o' of owned. There are also theories of the term meaning pistol-owned and this is certainly used in particular circles. Another theory is that if you remove the verticle line on a 'p', it leaves the shape of an 'o'.

The use of the words "pwn," "pwned," and "pwnage" has recently become widespread and can occasionally find their way into common speech and refer to situations outside video games.

===== Cans of Pwnage =====

Cans of pwnage is a newly evolving term in 1337speak, which is traditionally used to denote "ownage" or "pwnage" in which the 1337 person (person A) typically pwns the "nubcake" or "nubcaek" (person B). So if person A got a headshot on person B, for example, person A may say something along the lines of "I just open3d a can of pwn4ge on you nubcake," or "I just opened a can of pwnage on you nubcake." The phrase originated from professional wrestler [[Stone Cold Steve Austin]]'s popular tagline "open up a can of whoop-ass."

Also used in the phrase "I need to go down to the corner store and buy some more cans of pwnage." Occasionally, when the 1337 speaker feels the need to be extremely 1337, a higher quantity of pwnage is used. For example, if person A just picked up the double damage and killed five players, he might exclaim "ph34r my keg of pwnage, nubcakes!!11" in which "ph34r," "keg of pwnage," "nubcakes," and over-exclamation are all used to heighten the dramatic effect and 1337ness of the speaker. The "keg" of pwnage, rather than merely a "can," especially correlates the effect, and the 1337 pwner feels extremely powerful.

==== Newbies and the nubcake ====
{{main|newbie}}

Within Leet, the term "newbie" (and derivations thereof) is used extensively. This is due in part to its origins as a means of segregating the "elite" echelon from outsiders. A contemporary derivative of "newbie" (or "n00b") is the ''"nubcake"''. ''Nubcake'' may be used in conjunction with puns such as "what do you eat for [[breakfast]], nubcakes?" While nubcake is in itself not entirely offensive, it is derived fom the term "noob," which is generally viewed as being diminutive. Additionally, the term nubcake may evoke the pejorative "fruitcake," [http://fruitcake.urbanup.com/706327] which references homosexuals.

Further corruption of ''nubcake'' may lead to products such as ''nubcaek'', ''nublet'', ''nubsauce'', and so on.

==== Roffle, ''Roffles'', and combinations thereof ====
{{main|LOL (Internet slang)}}

Among the early Internet slang were "rofl," "lol," and others indicating an appreciation of humor. As such, derivations thereof quickly became incorporated into the Leet vocabulary. Leet is prone to corruptions of words to suit rhythm and rhyming. This, in addition to various plays on the word (such as the "ROFLCOPTER", "lollergasm," etc) has led to the creation of phrases such as ''"roffle my woffles"'' (misspelled for humor's sake).

=== ''Leet'' influence on other languages and character sets ===

==== Hong Kong Leet ====

Leet's influence on [[Chinese]] characters originated in online [[forum]]s in Hong Kong. Corruptions generally begin by breaking characters into their elemental [[radical (Chinese character)|radical]]s. As with the original enciphering of the Latin character set, Hong Kong Leet may be viewed as rude in public arenas. However, it may also be used simply as a method of defeating automated censoring processes.

Examples:
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
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|}
|}


===Kusachu in Japanese===
==== Kusachu Leet / 2ch slang ====
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 [[2channel]] (''2ch'' for short). "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.


The '''Kusachu language''' (クサチュー語 or 勹廾千ｭ―言吾 Kusachū-go) is a form of Leet enciphering for [[Japanese language|Japanese]]. It is written with a set of characters that replace common [[Hiragana]], [[Katakana]] and some [[Kanji]] characters which look similar to them. As with Hong Kong Leet, ''Kusachu Leet'' is primarily used in online forums, such as [[2channel]] (or ''2ch''). The etymology of ''Kusachu'' derives from the words "Kusare," meaning "gone bad" or "rotten", and 厨房 ("kitchen"), which is pronounced the same as 中坊 ("[[junior high school|junior high]] kid", 中=middle and 坊=kid in this context). 厨房 is itself "2ch slang" for "dimwit".
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 (an abbreviation process similar to "you" => "u"), 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.


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 (an abbreviation process similar to "you" => "u"), 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 make. 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.

Of Kusachu, there are many "dialects." Distinctions between dialects are not immediately easy to make. The character-splitting style is closest to Leet in that it may be hard to read for the uninitiated. By the same token, Kusachu, like other dialects of Leet, may be disliked by non-users of the cipher. The 2ch style is less corrupted than other forms of Leet, but it encompasses a larger novel vocabulary.

Examples:


Examples of Kusachu:
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{| class="wikitable"
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|}


==== Volapuk encoding ====
[[Category:2channel]]

===Cyrillation in Cyrillic languages===
{{main article|[[Volapuk encoding]]}}
{{main article|[[Volapuk encoding]]}}


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, Belarusian, Ukrainian 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:
For IRC and other programs as well as when a suitable character/font set is lacking, some users of the [[cyrillic alphabet]] (such as in the Russian, Serbian, Belarusian, Ukrainian 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 may substitute 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 degrades 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:

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.

While both a transliteration system (above) and a pictogram system exist, they are not used in conjunction as the combination would be too difficult to understand.


Examples:
NOTE: Usually either the transliteration system (which uses the characters that are sounding the same), or the pictogrammic (where the characters that are the same or alike looking are used). They are not used both together, because it would be too confusing... Although similar/shared letters are same for both systems.


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
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|Ы||Y, I (harder)
|Ы||Y, I (harder)
|-
|-
|Э||E (sound like ae)
|Э||E (phonetically like "ae")
|-
|-
|Ё||Yo (in the beginning of the word), Io (in the end)
|Ё||Yo (in the beginning of the word), Io (in the end)
Line 264: Line 397:
|}
|}


==== Greeklish ====
NOTE: Others came as in above example: by typing the alike looking number, latin letter, some signs or a combination of a few of those. And if there is the same looking letter, even if it sounds differently it is used in the pictogram writing, like H with Н or P with Р...


A similar method of enciphering is used for the same reasons as "Cyrillization" is [[Greeklish]]. Greeklish is 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 discouraged.
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.


In Addition, many Leet words or slang have been internalized within the Greek spoken language through Greek gamers online in games such as [[World of Warcraft]].
===Greeklish in Greek===
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.
In Addition, many L337 words or slang have been internalized within the Greek spoken language through Greek gamers of CT, WoW and Lineage2. Common examples of this are:


Examples:
-Noobas, Noobidi [NoobAs] which is Noob with a greek masculine ending (-as) and neutral (-idi)


{| class="wikitable"
-Ownaro [OwnAro] which means I own and used as a verb.
![[Greeklish]]!![[Explanation]]
|-
|Noobas, Noobidi, NoobAs || "Noob" with a Greek masculine suffix (-as) and neutral (-idi)
|-
|Ownaro, OwnAro || Meaning "I own"; used as a verb
|-
|Gkosas || Stemming from the word Gosa, meaning experienced player
|-
|[[OMG]], OhMiGi || Mispronunciation of OMG (OhEmg); "Oh My God"
|}


== Problems classifying Leet as a language ==
-gkosas which stems from the word Gosa to mean experienced player.


=== Murky origins ===
-OMG [OhMiGi] a mispronunciation of OMG [OhEmg] meaning Oh My God


Written languages evolved as a way to express concepts. Typically, a written language begins as a set of pictures representing concepts, which are subsequently distilled into pictograms. From these pictograms, a grammar and syntax can evolve. Leet is peculiar in that it did not evolve as a way to express ideas. Rather, it evolved as a way to express identities or belonging in social circles. In this respect, it is unique among languages.
Greek Gamers have generated their own leet and slang as well.


Because Leet was never intended to stand on its own as a language, Leet lacks a spoken component. It can be viewed as having an almost [[parasite|parasitic]] relationship with spoken and other written language.
==Leet slang==


Thus, Leet is hard to classify as a language. Various terms which may apply to it are (but not limited to) "cipher," "creole," "pidgin," "dialect," and "slang."
===Words===
:''For full definitions please see [[Internet slang]].''


=== Use of ''x0r'' and "z0r"===
=== Relative youth ===
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).


While most languages have a long history, many being thousands of years old, Leet has no such history. In fact, Leet is no older than a few decades. Determining an exact taxonomy of Leet is therefore rather difficult. Leet is more accurately described in terms of itself. As Leet evolves, it gains more vocabulary and additionally nuanced syntax, through [[recursion|recursively]] applying its syntax to itself (in this respect, Leet is not unlike a [[Infinite impulse response|recursive filter]]).
Originally in the phrase "r0x0r j00r b0x0rz", "b0x0rz" refers not to "[[boxer shorts|boxers]]" (i.e. [[undergarment|underwear]]) but actually to "boxes" (in computer slang: computers, though ''[[boxen]]'' 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.


=== Lack of appropriate terminology ===
The term "r0x0r j00r b0x0r" itself probably relates to [[hacking]] itself, with a person being able to gain access to and, from there, "rock their box". It is also possible that it is a derivative 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 [[Internet Forum|forum]], [[newsgroup]], or [[chat room]] the Leetspeak is being spoken in.


As Leet is largely defined in terms of itself, or the languages it corrupts, very little terminology exists to classify it. The term "meme" comes close in some respects, but fails significantly in others. The abovementioned terms fail in similar ways.
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" or "Bob are teh r0x0r" is deliberately used to increase the level of irony and to separate it from less ironic, true leetspeak. -xor is also sometimes used in user nicknames (e.g: ''"Luxxor"'').


=== Problems publishing research ===
Due to the phonetic sound of "xor" (ksor), 1337 speakers quickly began using "zor" and "zorz" as well and in similar context. "zorz" however is often used on the end of every major word in a sentence for comedic effect such as "H0ly sh1tzorz j00 0wnzorzed himzorz upz!1"


Because Leet is not an internationally recognized language (or officially a language at all), and because it lacks a set of formal definitions, referring to it in publications is difficult. Further, publishing research ''in'' Leet is problematic due to the a lack of proper indexing, professional sanctioning bodies, peer reviewers, and so on. To illustrate this, imagine a text written in Leet being indexed in a library in which most of the text is in English.
===Grammar===
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 rather 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|t3h]] 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"'').
''"Pwnz0r3d"'' is used often in the same way as pwned hence ''"1 pwnz0r3d his @$5 L4s+ N1gh+ on C$''" (I pwned his ass last night on CS (Counter-Strike))


== See also ==
NOTE: Pwned means "owned", which could mean that you beat them badly. It could refer to almost anything.


===Use of ''$''===
=== Related ===
* [[ASCII art]]
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 correct 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$" (MS, short for [[Microsoft]]), "$ony" (Sony) or "$ky" ([[Rupert Murdoch]]'s [[BSkyB]] satellite TV service) is proper usage, but "r0xx0r$" is more properly spelt "r0xx0r5" or "r0x0rz", unless it means given success connected with financial profit ("Got my cheque, 4dw0rdz r0xx0r$")
* [[Emoticon]]
* [[Internet slang]]
* [[Jeff K.]]
* [[Kirby dance]]
* [[Megatokyo]], a [[webcomic]] in which some characters speak in Leet
* [[Typographical error]]
* [[Verlan]]
* [[Script kiddie]]
* ''[[Tales for the L33t]]''


=== Similar and related corruptions ===
===Kekeke===
* [[Volapuk encoding]]
It is widely believed that the expression "kekeke" comes from the Korean players of [[Starcraft]] who have a key on their keyboards that they use to express giggling or laughter and when typed in an English server it apears as the text "ke". It is commonly associated with the shallow but effective tactic in the game of amassing a large force of units known as Zergling or any type of Zerg unit and rushing the enemy base before they can properly defend themselves. The phrase "Zerg rush! kekeke!!" is often used out of context for any form of rushing or [[Blitzkrieg]] tactic, sometimes replacing "Zerg" with what suits the situation. In general, "kekeke" is used by North American and European gamers to mock both Korean adolescents and the Starcraft or even the whole Real Time Strategy community.
* [[Diablospeak]]

* [[Newspeak]]
===Frequent misspellings===
* [[Pig Latin]]
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:
* [[Hexspeak]]
* "evar", "evah", and "eva" for "ever." This is usually used in the phrase "Worst. <something>. Evar." e.g. "Worst. Game. Evar." This construct is largely credited as a reference to a phrase oft uttered by [[The Comic Book Guy]], a recurring character on ''[[The Simpsons]]''.
* German "ist" for "is", often used with word "death". For example, "mp3 ist death." Also used with "krieg" - German for "war", but in this context it means, approximately, "favourable". For example: "mp3 ist krieg". This is a parody of the [[nargaroth]] song [[Black_Metal_ist_Krieg|Black Metal Ist Krieg]]. This tends to be especially prevalent among those that also listen to [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]].
* "[[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; it is usually pronounced "pown" (rhymes with blown), "powned", or simply spelt out in discussion ("P-W-N'd"). According to [[Pure Pwnage]] it is simply pronounced "Owned".
** Alternate Explanation: pwned is derived from player-owned, ie one player killing another in a multiplayer game; typically associated with [[First-Person Shooter|FPS]] games.
*** pwned can also be interpreted in gaming as being in reference to the chess piece known as the pawn; meaning a player was beaten with such superior skill to his or her own skill, that to his/her opponent he/she is simply a pawn to be toyed with. The pawn is the lowliest and most abundant chess piece.
** "pwned" also has further corrupted forms, including "pwnt", rwnd, and "pwnd".
* "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.")
* "lozl" or "lzol" as an alternate for lolz. The migration of the "z" as letters tend to commonly move around in 1337 just goes to show both the instability of the pinky (little) finger and also typing too fast for your own good.
* "gom" for "omg" for "oh my god/gosh!". Originating from gomgomgom in which the user moved the last g to the beginning.
* "pron" for porn. Some users extrapolate this even further, replacing pron with "pr0n" "[[prawn]]"or "pr4wn".
* "lawl" for "lol". Came from someone trying to pronounce "lol" phonetically.
'''The mispelling of "!"'''
* The number 1 and the word "one" instead of exclamation points (!). Often used to show intense sarcasm " OMG I R TEH BEST!!!!11!one!11. Furthermore, another common usage in this context is "eleven" as a substitute for "!", as in: "I r0xx0red j00!!!!1!!11one!!eleven!!". Again this context denoted extreme sarcasm. Sometimes extrapolated into using the roman numeral I instead of 1. On occasion, "two" will be used instead of "one" to stress the sarcasm as well.
* Along this line evolution is the mispelling of "?" following the same line of "!" The most common being "/" and "slash", as in: W@t r j00 ta1kin b0u+, n00b???//??/?slash? ("What are you talking about noob?)
*In addition to the "one," "two," and "slash" being used to accentuate the sarcasm of the statement, "+shift" or "+shifty" is used in the same manner, for example: "NOWAI!!11one1!one+shifty"

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, or "uber leet", (''see: [[obfuscated code]]''), this translates to "Mike's leet skills pwn 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 the like 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"
* "/\/\()/\/|<37 |>\/\//\/3|) J()()" for "Monkey Owned You"
* "\/\/|-|3|z3 |))1|)) j00 (,3+ +|-|15" for "Where did you get this?"
* "+|-|3 0|=|=1<3|z5" for "the Officers"
* "j00 suX0rz!" or "j00 i5 t3h sux0rz" for "You suck!"
* "pwn3d" for "Owned"
* "pwn4g3: for "Ownage"
* "PH33R MEH!!!" for "Fear Me!"
* "OMG j00 wUr l13|< P\/\//\/3d n00b, 1 m l13|< uB3r 1337" for "Oh my god, you were, like, owned newbie, I'm like super-elite."
* "7341" prononunced "teal" refering to the most popular color in the online game starcraft which has become synonymous with "1337" in some online circles.

===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 an adjective, such as ''speak'' becoming ''speakage'' or leet becoming leetage, 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".

Overuse of "-age" is looked down upon in most online communities, however, and can show signs of desperation to be better.

===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]]. Some Leet speakers purposely type exactly one "1" for every 3 "!"s. This is a satire of noob players who let go of the shift key too soon and some of their intended exclamation marks become the number 1.

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 effect, for example, ''L0l!!!11!eleventy-one1!1!11one1!!!exclamationmark!!11oneone!1''. It can also be used to poke fun at users of [[AOLese|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 ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy|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![[Euler's identity|[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".

===Units of measurement===
In some computer science circles, one <b>hax</b> has been defined as exactly 1337 [[bytes]] when measuring computer data. Example: "I was able to optimize my code down about five haxes (6685 [[bytes]]) last night!" In addition to the commonly used <b>hax</b>, there are several other units of measurement:

1 <b>pwned</b> = 1337 <b>haxes</b> = <i>~1745</i> [[kilobytes]]<br>
1 <b>noob</b> = 1337 <b>pwned</b> = <i>~2279</i> [[megabytes]]<br>
1 <b>leet</b> = 1337 <b>noobs</b> = <i>~2795</i> [[gigabytes]]<br>

This system is informally known as the N measurement system, though it is commonly referred to as the "leet" system, as that is the highest measurement one can make while using this system.

==Pwn==
A common misspelling of the word "own", [[pwn]] refers to the domination of a player in a video game (rather than just a win). For example, one pwning another is equivalent to scoring a dramatic kill, or several kills, in a video game shooter, against the other person. Similarly, to "get pwned" means that a more skilled player in a game has scored a convincing or even humiliating victory against you. Outside games 'pwnd' describes being in a highly humiliating position. The term "z0r" can also be suffixed for added affect: "pwnz0red". There is also pwnt, pwnded, and owndizzled.

Pwned can be pronounced phonetically several ways; Usually, the pronunciation is "owned", "powned", "punt", "pawned", "pooned", or "pioned". In terms of extreme excitement or joy, a leet speaker may use the terms "pwikiwoned!!" or "pwakawakaowned!!".

The origin of the term is controversial and many claim to have invented it. Due to its nature, the error is most likely to have occured in several places at the same time, similar to the discovery of the [[J/ψ particle|J/ψ]]. The term may have originated from the relative proximity of the letter 'p' of pwned to the 'o' of owned. There are also theories of the term meaning pistol-owned and this is certainly used in particular circles. Another theory is that if you remove the verticle line on a 'p', it leaves the shape of an 'o'.

The use of the words "pwn," "pwned," and "pwnage" has recently become widespread and can occasionally find their way into common speech and refer to situations outside video games.

===Cans of Pwnage===
Cans of pwnage is a newly evolving term in 1337speak, which is traditionally used to denote "ownage" or "pwnage" in which the 1337 person (person A) typically pwns the "nubcake" or "nubcaek" (person B). So if person A got a headshot on person B, for example, person A may say something along the lines of "I just open3d a can of pwn4ge on you nubcake," or "I just opened a can of pwnage on you nubcake." The phrase originated from professional wrestler [[Stone Cold Steve Austin]]'s popular tagline "open up a can of whoop-ass."

Also used in the phrase "I need to go down to the corner store and buy some more cans of pwnage." Occasionally, when the 1337 speaker feels the need to be extremely 1337, a higher quantity of pwnage is used. For example, if person A just picked up the double damage and killed five players, he might exclaim "ph34r my keg of pwnage, nubcakes!!11" in which "ph34r," "keg of pwnage," "nubcakes," and over-exclamation are all used to heighten the dramatic effect and 1337ness of the speaker. The "keg" of pwnage, rather than merely a "can," especially correlates the effect, and the 1337 pwner feels extremely powerful.

===The nubcake===
A newer phenomenon where a newbie, noob, or nub may be referred to as "nubcake". This is often used in conjunction with the phrase "what do you eat for [[breakfast]], nubcakes?". Nubcake is derived from the term noob, a derogatory form of [[newbie]], and [[cake]], which is probably there to add to the irony. Not much is known of the origin of the "nubcake" except that it is seeing wider use especially in the online gaming world, where those leet speakers who constantly are keeping to date with evolving terms will use this to denigrate the person it is targeted at.

One theory is that 'nubcake' is a derivative of 'fruitcake', a commonly used insult by California teenage males. For more information on the slang usage of fruitcake, see [http://fruitcake.urbanup.com/706327 Urbandictionary's entry].

Nubcake is particularly useful because it serves as a transition between two fairly common things - noobs, and [[food]]. Thus, the term "nubcake" can be placed into many existing expressions which involve food, such as "What do you bake for the nubfest? Nubcakes!" or "He must have gormandized several nubcakes before he made that speech, because he sounded like a 1237412|) (retard)."

A further evolution of the phrase is an intentional misspelling (such as "own" becoming "pwn") turning it into "nubcaek"

An offshoot of "Nubcake" is "Nublet", taking it's [[suffix]] from words like [[piglet]], implying the person is lowlier than the average "noob".

===Nubsauce===
A term that seems to have arisen recently, especially among mid-western gamers. The term is usually used demeaningly in response to actions of a newbie. Example: "Way to blow yourself up, Nubsauce." It is plausible that this term originated from street basketball courts where "sauce" is often a term used after an exemplary move. Example: "How do you like that sauce." This term was taken up by gamers and combined with n00b to change its connotation from a good move to one of inexperience or stupidity.

In addition, an unskilled or underhanded move can be referred to as "weak sauce." Or, if you must go 1337, "\/\/34KK 5/-\|_|<3" for example "1 sed I wanned to nifefite, wtf is dat weeksauce?" 'I said I wanted to have a knife-fight, what the f**k is that weaksauce?'.

When used in conjunction with nubcakes, nubsauce can further denigrate the person the expression is aimed at. For example, expanding upon previous terms, a leetspeaker who just witnessed an extremely inexperienced move by a new player may say, "What do you eat with your nubcakes, nubsauce?"



===Leet items===
This form of leetspeak is used to quickly express that an item, in a game or in real life, is "leet". There are very loose rules to defining a leet object, but the general rule is that all [[consonants]] before the first [[vowel]] are dropped and replaced with [[l]]. If the first letter of the word is a vowel, the l is generally prefixed to the front. An example of this common method can be expressed in a phrase such as, "That is a leet nuke, or a luke."

Other permutations of a leet item are:
"Leet move" -> "lewve"
"Leet attack" -> "lattack"
"Leet strategy" -> "lrategy"
"Leet ownage" -> "lownage"


===roffle my woffles===
This term of leet derives from the pronunciation of "rofl", (meaning 'rolling on the floor laughing') with an intentional misspelling of waffles added for rhyming comical humor.
Some say it is a parody of the [[Eggo]] slogan "L'eggo my Eggo".

==Leet as a spoken language==
Not much thought is given to leet as a spoken language, for reasons relating to its origins as a form of Internet cipher. While Leet can be pronounced, it rarely occurs outside the media of multiplayer online gaming, [[Internet Relay Chat|IRC]] and forums. 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 spelt in written Leet, but the only such individuals we know about are fictional (see "Largo" / [[Rodney Caston]], [[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]], [[Electronic Arts Battlefield franchise|Battlefield]], [[Unreal Tournament]], [[Quake]], [[Halo (video game series)|Halo]] 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. It is also known that there are different dialects of Leet used depending which games that person plays.

The way one goes about using leet as a language during online play, irc and forums determines one's personality and intellect while online. If one is to say "rofl, wth are you doing with your thing?" rather than "WOD R u dOin wiD ur THING?? LOLWTF!!" they will be generally considered more serious and therefore more professional. It is found that in the more professional ring of games, leet is included into the english language as typos and only used by itself in a joking matter.

The usage of @(a), (V) (M);seemingly random capitals, are mainly used by the less professional level of gamers. Because of this, it is considered derogatory when more professional gamers use this.

In more "leet" gaming servers, those who start speaking leetspeak are commonly considered "noobs". Often, beginners to a game will see conversation such as those and adapt the dialect, considering themselves "l33t", although that kind of typing often gets them ridiculed.

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, nüb, [[noob]], newb, naab, nublet, n00blet, nubsicle, n00bsicle, nu6).

Examples in non-gaming groups have been noted, including pronunciation of "teh" in place of the definite article in speech.

Also, a student on a College tournament of television show Jeopardy! once wagered $1337 on the Final Jeopardy question. The news quickly spread to the Internet.
[http://thousandrobots.com/blog/archives/2004/11/jeopardy_colleg.php]

==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.

*[[Advance Wars: Dual Strike]]

The character Jake, commonly uses the term "Owned!" on the victory screen after a battle. He also used "owned" in some dialogue portions of the game. Furthermore, in the History section, you receive the message "Pwn3d!" for destroying 150 subs and "w00t!" for destroying 50 megatanks.

*[[Age of Empires III]]

One of the fort names in the game [[Age of Empires III]] is "[[Fort Pownall]]", keeping in style with the game's pseudo-historical references.

*[[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 instantly.

*[[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 original version, is deemed an "31!73 |-|4x0|^" for creating the website [http://www.newgrounds.com Newgrounds.com].

*[[Anarchy Online]]

A "Leet" is also the name of a furry, cuddly creature resembling a [[Rodent]]/[[Parrot]] crossbreed 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, stories such as the [http://www.anarchyarcanum.com/humor_leetville.html Leetville] series being made, and a special set of leet pets being the pre-order gift for Alien Invasion, Anarchy Online's third expansion.

*[[Area 51 (first-person shooter)|Area 51]]

In Area 51 the video game for PS2, when playing multiplayer when you kill someone one of the messages in the top is _______ pwned joo.
*[[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. There is an achievement badge awarded called "Pwnz". Defeating one of the previous named Freakshow is a pre-requisite for earning it.

*[[Counter-Strike]]

The ''1337 Krew'' is a selectable "Terrorist Faction". 1337 Krews are skinny men, who wear thick glasses, green collared shirts and khaki pants, perhaps as a stereotype of a computer hacker.

However, In recent versions of Counter-strike (1.6 and beyond), the character was re-modeled into a stereo-typical terrorist (adding a head-wrap, and changing the clothes). Counter-Strike:Source, a port of Counter-Strike to the Source game engine, is yet to implement the "1337 Krew" model, although updates are said to be on the way

Counter-Strike:Source does have references to 'leet speek' however. One of the many randomly selected phrases a bot (CPU contolled opponant) can say upon winning a round is "We Owned Em'" With 'owned' being the reference to leet speek.

*[[Destroy All Humans!]]

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

*[[Deus Ex]]

Cheat codes can be enabled in this game by adding the command-line argument "-hax0r" to the game's shortcut.

*[[Ratchet: Deadlocked]]

In online or multiplayer play, when one player kills another player, the verb shown at the bottom right of the screen (Player 1 _____ed Player 2, generally fillied with imaginative synonyms for killed) is occasionally "pwned."

*[[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 "Fat Lute," a reference to the leet phrase "phat loot".

*[[Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue]]

In the music player on [[Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue]], the lifter bunyip theme is titled "Lifter Bunyip r0x0rs". It's hard to tell in the game, but if you look closely they are infact 0s.

*[[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."

*[[Gantz]]
In the manga/anime Gantz the machine Gantz calls the one who did best "th3 1337 h4xx0r." This only occured in the manga and was a device of the [[scanlators]]. In the original Japanese no leet was spoken.

*[[Guitar Hero]]

When you are playing in the Basement Venue of the game, when the camera does a close up of your rocker, you can look at the speaker behind him and notice "Roxxer" is the company who made the speaker.

*[[Gran Turismo 4]]

Some cars in the game can have their weight reduced to 1337 kg.

*[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]

There are some obscure references to 1337 such as Prawn (pr0n) Island and the Roxor (r0x0rz) Building.

*[[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" (elite trousers), The 31337 and 64735 scrolls (elite and gates, respectively), and practically all of the events encountered in the Valley of Rof L'M Fao. Nearly the entire game is an homage to 1337speak in specific, and internet culture in general.

*[[Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time]]
In this recently released DS game, two [[Hammer Bros.]], controlled by Shroobs, speak almost entirely in 1337. They constantly refer to [[Mario]] and [[Luigi]] as 'N00BZ', and say that they will 'R0XX0R', 'HAX0R', and 'PWN' them. When their mind-control helmets are removed, one of them comments, "Can you believe what was coming out of my mouth? Who talks like that?"

*[[Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney]]

In this game, in the third case, there is a NPC called Sal Monella. His speech is almost entirely comprised of 1337. When Sal Monella mentions the word 'sux0rz', a common 1337 word, your assistant, Maya, asks what "sock sores" are. This is never answered in the game. She also asks what "rock sores" means.

*[[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 W0rld," 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]].)

*[[Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando]]
On the back cover it says: Kicking @$$, one planet at a time.

*[[RuneScape]]

In [[RuneScape]], there's a cutscene in the members' version where players watch a video recording of a bank robbery. There are several fake players in the cutscene. One of them is called "1337Sp34kr". Everything that he says is in leet. He eventually gets destroyed by the bank robber, but not without a resounding "Hakr!".

*[[Star Wars: Republic Commando]]

In ''[[Star Wars: Republic Commando]]'', one of the commandos named Delta-62 "Scorch", when ordered to slice a terminal, will sometimes say "no terminal can withstand my [[l33t]] [[h4x0r]] ski11z".

*[[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". Also before patch 1.5(?) players of the Horde and Alliance were able to communicate using non-alphabetical characters to talk between factions. For example Alliance could say hi by typing "[-]1". Using l33t in World Of Warcraft is now discouraged as it takes away the language barrier between different classes and tribes.

* [[Warcraft 3]]
If you use Thrall's far seer viewing ability and get lucky on the tutorial's first level, you see Scurvy Pirates guarding Phat lewt, un 13373d leet. Also, one of the Night Elf Archers' acknowledgements when she is clicked on is: "Phear my leet skills".

* [[Worms 4: Mayhem]]
Sometimes when a crate drops, the message on the top of the screen says "OMG ITS A CRATE!!111 LOL"

==Sociological aspects==
[[Image:Anzeigen(Displays).jpg|300px|right|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 can be thought to represent an intermediate stage in a user's familiarity with the Internet. First there is the "[[newbie]inter]" 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 "n00bs" or to simply shorten typing time. Grammar is often ignored. The third and final stage is a more orthodox stage, where most words are spelt in full and grammar is used correctly. Most major websites seeking mainstream credibility and wide readership are maintained by people in this stage—highly Internet savvy people who only use leet sarcastically.

Another view is that obsessive attention to grammar, vocabulary, and spelling is increasingly outmoded on the current medium (the [[Internet]]) or the current period (of increasing [[internationalism]]). Underemployed [[academic]]s - a group that is well known for fastidious attention to [[spelling]] - may constitute a large portion of the group that assesses themselves as highly Internet-savvy, and (conversely) leet users somehow less-savvy. While [[the academy]], (the prime locus of the aforementioned group) may serve as a [[conservatory]] for [[Standard English]], live languages are known to evolve (sometimes rapidly).

Additionally, stating that use of leet is indicative of level of Internet mastery may represent a thinly-veiled [[nationalist]] or [[ethnocentric]] urge (cf. the [[English-Only movement]]; the [[Ebonics]] Controversy).

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), such as "pr0n" for [[pornography]], similar to the !@!*@$% type expressions commonly seen in cartoons to indicate [[cursing]] (the desire being 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 "pr0n" to refer to pornography while avoiding automated filters is a common example. However, this is not encouraged, and a user that is caught using Leetspeak to evade filters may be given a Warning Bar Increase.



==See also==
*[[ASCII art]]
*[[Cant (language)|Canting]]
*[[Emoticon]]
*[[Internet slang]]
*[[Jeff K.]]
*[[Hexspeak]]
*[[Kirby dance]]
*[[Pig Latin]]
*[[Megatokyo]], a [[webcomic]] in which some characters speak in L33t
*[[Txt msg]]


=== Terminology ===
*[[Typographical error]]
* [[Cant (language)|Canting]]
*[[Verlan]]
*[[Volapuk encoding]]
* [[meme]]
*[[Script kiddie]]
* [[polyglot]]
*[[BattleDuck]]
* [[pidgin]]
* [[creole]]
*''[[Tales for the L33t]]''
*[[Diablospeak]]
* [[language]]
*[[Newspeak]]
* [[dialect]]
* [[slang]]


=== Leet in the Internet social corpus ===
===Examples of leetspeak===
* [[B1FF]], the stereotypical [[newbie]]
[[Image:JourneyEscapealbumcover.jpg|right|frame|[[Cover art]] for [[Journey (band)|Journey's]] 1981 album [[Escape (Journey album)|''E5C4P3'']].]]
* [[Reanimation]], Linkin Park's album of remixed songs (the singles are corrupted with Leet)
*[[B1FF]], the stereotypical [[newbie]]
* [[l33t programming language]]
*The [[cover art]] for the 1981 [[Journey (band)|Journey]] [[Escape (Journey album)|album ''E5C4P3'']].
* [[S1m0ne]], the title of a 2002 science-fiction drama film
*[[Pwn]], a verb meaning 'to beat' (someone)
* [[b3ta]], humorous British website, described as a "puerile digital arts community"
*[[Reanimation]], Linkin Park's album of remixed songs (the singles are written in leet)
* [[Examples of Leet in videogaming]]
*[[Teh]], a common misspelling now used for superlative form
*[[w00t]], an exclamation used in gaming circles
*[[l33t programming language]]
*[[Roxor Games]], video game publisher
*[[S1m0ne]], the title of a 2002 science-fiction drama film
*[[b3ta]], humorous British website, described as a "puerile digital arts community"
*[[Penis|p3n0r]], an alternative spelling of [[penis]].
*[[tath]], A common misspelling that was accepted as a 1337 term.
*[[Hax0r]], Refering to a Hacker.
*[[pr0n]], Typo-deleberation of porn, or pornography.
*[[Baka (Japanese insult)|b4k4]], Originating from the Japanese word for idiot or stupid ie. b4k4 |\|00|3
*[[L0lz0rdz]], Commonly referred to as "L4\/\/L" or "lol"
*[[0MFGZ0RZ]], Newb way of saying "Oh my fucking god".
*The cover art for the [[Beastie Boys]] album [[Licensed To Ill]] has ''"3MTA3"'' which is "EAT ME" spelled backwards.


==References==
==References==
*{{jargon}}
# {{jargon}}
*[http://www.verbumvanum.org/kristof/index.html Lexical tensions in Internet English: 1337 as language? (by Kristof Van de Velde and Jeroen Meuleman)]
# ''"Lexical tensions in 'internet english' : 1337 as language?"'', Van de Velde, Kristof and Meuleman, Jeroen, viewed 29 January, 2006 [http://www.verbumvanum.org/kristof/index.html]
*[http://www.goshen.edu/~sashamd/l33t/ 'L33t' as Dialect? A History and Analysis] by Sasha Dyck
# ''"A History and Analysis of the 'l33t' Dialect"'', Dyck, Sasha, 12 January, 2003 [http://www.goshen.edu/~sashamd/l33t/]
# ''"According to research at Cambridge University ..."'', Davis, Matt, 2003 [http://www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/~mattd/Cmabrigde/]
# ''"Can you raed this?"'', Slashdot.org, 15 September, 2003 [http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/09/15/2227256]
# ''"E-commerce lexicon: communicating in brief"'', Jacobs, Joanne, viewed 29 January, 2006 [http://www.ling.mq.edu.au/centres/sc/jacobs.htm]
# ''"Twin Language"'', Hudon, Mindy, viewed 29 January, 2006 [http://toddlerstoday.com/resources/articles/twintalk.htm]
# ''"Origins of Written Language"'', Gay, Greg, viewed 29 January, 2006 [http://www.ldrc.ca/contents/view_article/152/]


==External links==
== External links ==
*Introductions and guides:
**[http://www.technewsworld.com/story/47607.html A Leet Primer by Anthony Mitchell] looks at drivers behind leet’s popularity, international trends, and security issues.
**[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 referenced by other articles.]
**[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://www.straightdope.com/columns/030110.html The Straight Dope: What the heck is "leetspeak?"]
**[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
**[http://mediaarealive.com/stories/a_b_leet/ A B Leet] &mdash; a children's story introducing the concepts of l33t speak


=== Leet guides and instruction ===
*Translation tools:
*[http://www.technewsworld.com/story/47607.html A Leet Primer by Anthony Mitchell] A look at Leet’s popularity, international trends, and security issues.
**[http://home.no.net/hellshl/main/translate.html The Ultra-1337 Translator] lets you convert words into basic or advanced 1337-speak and back.
**[http://www.lorem-ipsum.info/_l33tspeak Generator for L33Tspeak typographical filler text]
*[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://www.twintop-tahoe.com/windows/l33t.php External Windows L33T/English Translation Program]
*[http://www.straightdope.com/columns/030110.html The Straight Dope: What the heck is "leetspeak?"]
**[https://addons.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php?id=770 Firefox Leet Key extension] allows typing in leet, as well as allowing transformation of static HTML text into l33t and back into English.
*[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
*[http://umanwizard.com/1337.html The Anti 1337 Manifesto]


=== Translation tools ===
*Leet versions of other sources:
*[http://home.no.net/hellshl/main/translate.html The Ultra-1337 Translator] lets you convert words into basic or advanced 1337-speak and back.
**[http://www.google.com/intl/xx-hacker/ Leet Google] Google in Leet
*[http://www.lorem-ipsum.info/_l33tspeak Generator for L33Tspeak typographical filler text]
**[http://www.christianhacker.org/html/NHV.html NHV (New Hacker Version) Bible Transliteration by the Christian Hackers' Association]
*[http://www.twintop-tahoe.com/windows/l33t.php External Windows L33T/English Translation Program]
**[http://www.nata2.info/humor/flash/hamlet.swf Chris Coutts 'Hamlet'] (in [[Macromedia Flash]]), a humorous yet faithful version of [[William Shakespeare]]'s play, [[Hamlet]], animated and translated into Leet.
*[https://addons.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php?id=770 Firefox Leet Key extension] Provides a Leet interface, as well as allowing transformation of static HTML text into Leet and then to English.

*Other:
**[http://umanwizard.com/1337.html The Anti 1337 Manifesto]
**[http://www.1337crew.org 1337crew] German website of people who are 1337
**[http://comics.kirkwarez.com/MTC/ Moo The Cow], a webcomic where each strip exists in both Normal and 1337 version


[[Category:Internet slang]]
[[Category:Internet slang]]
[[Category:Famous numbers|1337]]
[[Category:Famous numbers|1337]]
[[Category:Obfuscation]]
[[Category:Obfuscation]]
[[Category:2channel]]


[[da:Leet-speak]]
[[da:Leet-speak]]

Revision as of 00:46, 30 January 2006

The name Leet generally refers to a linguistic phenomenon associated with the Internet. Leet is defined in terms of the corruption or modification of written text. For example, the term "leet" itself is often written "l33t" or "1337." Such corruptions are frequently referred to as "Leetspeak" or "L33t5p34k," et cetera (see below for cipher definitions). In addition to corruption of standard language, new colloquialisms have been added to the parlance. It is also important to note that Leet itself is not solely based upon one language or character set. In fact, Greek, Russian, Chinese, and other languages have been subjected to the Leet "cipher." 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.

Origins

The name Leet itself is derived from the word elite. Elite has been used in the past to designate a group of users as belonging to a higher social echelon than other users. Originally, "elite" had been reduced to one syllable, "'leet."

Leet has its basis in written communication over electronic media. Most simply, it evolved as a way of forming exclusive cliques in on-line communities, notably Bulletin Board Systems and online multiplayer games (see Examples of Leet in videogaming). The mechanism was simple: by taking standard text and corrupting it with a dynamic cipher, only those privy to the cipher could understand what was being conveyed in the ciphertext. Through this, newcomers to a given community were excluded from communication with those who had defined the cipher.

After the dawn of Leet on bulletin boards and other non-real-time communications media, Leet found something of a renaissance in real-time protocols such as Internet Relay Chat (IRC) and Instant messaging (such as AIM). It can be said that something of a conflict existed between those who used Leet in communication on such realtime services, and those who did not.

Through this process, Leet acquired an expanded vocabulary. As Internet slang grew (such as w00t, teh, and so on), it was absorbed into Leet (and subsequently enciphered). Along the way, additional languages began to be enciphered with Leet-like processes (see "krieg," "ist" below). In this regard, Leet resembles a creole or pidgin polyglot.

In addition to the broader vocabulary, Leet's ciphers became even more complex and dynamic. Where originally, a one-to-one relationship existed between the source and cipher text (such as "e" -> "3"), newer one-to-many and many-to-many ciphers began to emerge (such as "a" -> "@", "4", and so on).

Several outside sources have been instrumental in the formation and evolution of Leet as a dialect or cipher. Primarily, the exclusive nature of enciphering text in communities drove the evolution of the cipher. Additionally, in online games where certain text was forbidden (such as swearing, causing corruptions like "fuck" -> "phux0red"), newer, more clever ciphers had to be created to prevent software limitations from hindering communication. The same sort of evolution has been spurred by e-mail content filters which may prevent a user from including certain words in their "written" communication. As such, in addition to the socially exclusionary properties of using a cipher, it may be said that Leet is used as a means to defeat regular expression engines used for matching content in written communication.

More recently, the exclusive value of Leet as a cipher has been reduced. As Leet has become popular in the common Internet "vernacular," many users who would previously have been excluded by enciphered text have "caught on" to the cipher. Even highly irregular ciphers (see below for a full discussion of various ciphers) have proven to be easily decipherable by users determined to do so. Because of this, using Leet in discussion has become something of a novelty or joke. Users, instead of attempting to exclude other people with the cipher, have instead been using Leet to indicate that they are part of the Leet-using counterculture, or to mock the existence therein.

Curiously, as Leet's effectiveness as a cipher has waned, the language has evolved due to its continued use in communities which tend to value it solely for humor value. The process of using Leet for humor, combined with its highly flexible and dynamic nature, causes it to metamorphose into further derivations of its original cipher. Thus, the language evolves, its vocabulary expands, and new expressions emerge from older constructs.

Sociological considerations

Leet can be defined as an expression of the general laws of sociology as it applies to small tribes or cliques. Leet is a manifestation of the need to maintain an elitist cultural identity in the midst of 'outsiders' (in this case, ignorant masses). In so doing, users have invented novel linguistic and fashion styles. Such is common human behavior, and many other linguistic behaviors (such as Idioglossia) have similar mechanisms and effects. In literature, an example of this behavior can be found in Lord of the Flies.

A trajectory through social acceptance on the Internet could be seen as:

  1. The "newbie" stage, wherein a user is ignorant about languages and customs.
  2. A "Leet" stage, where a user may over-compensate in their actions, by using Leet excessively, so as to "fit in" with the "elite" social cadre. These users may also attempt to ostracize other users who have not progressed to such a stage.
  3. A more "orthodox" stage, in which attention is paid to grammar and spelling. Communities seeking credibility in the eyes of the rest of the Internet may seek to portray this level of maturity. It is at this stage when Leet is most used in a sarcastic tone.

Yet another view is that obsessive attention to grammar, vocabulary, and spelling is increasingly outmoded on the current medium (the Internet) or the current period (of increasing internationalism). Underemployed academics - a group that is well known for fastidious attention to spelling - may constitute a large portion of the group that assess themselves as highly Internet-savvy, and (conversely) Leet users somehow less-savvy. While the academy, (the prime locus of the aforementioned group) may serve as a conservatory for Standard English, live languages are known to evolve (sometimes rapidly).

It may be said that part of the difficulty around use of the Leet dialect is due to the fact that it is an early example of emergent language in a non-spoken medium. As language universally has arisen out of spoken communication, a dialect which arises out of a polyglot of written languages and slang does not fit into the normal descriptions of language. As such, it is not offered any protection based upon ethnicity or nationality (whereas speakers of Italian in a primarily German speaking forum may expect some deference based on Italian being their native language, users of Leet may have no such consideration).

As such, Leet has been viewed almost universally as a misuse of language, as well as a misuse of resources. Users who do not engage in "Leet speak" complain that having to de-cipher the text is irritating. Conversely, users who do engage in the practice tend to argue that they are not intending for non-Leet-speaking users to read their communication.

Ironically, despite the fact that Leet itself does not symbolize any one ethnicity or nationality, it does represent a homologous group of users: "residents" of the Internet. Similarly, the position that use of Leet is indicative of level of Internet mastery may seem a thinly-veiled nationalist or ethnocentric criticism (cf. the English-Only movement; the Ebonics Controversy).

Because of the problems surrounding its lack of a spoken component, as well as its (seemingly) ethnocentric beginnings, there has recently been something of a stigma attached to use of the Leet cipher. Because of its popularity with children, parenting organizations have seen fit to warn parents about the cipher. Parents, it is reasoned, may not be able to understand what their children are saying in email, SMS's, or instant messenging, and dismiss it as nonsense. It is argued that children may be discussion such nefarious things as drug use or software piracy. Guides have been published to help parents decipher their children's Leet-enciphered communication.

Despite the hurdles to attaining social acceptance, Leet has become such a part of common culture that the cipher is used even in mainstream advertising, such as the Sears Kenmore "HE4T" washing machine and dryer. Entire websites have been written with the Leet cipher, such as Something Awful's JeffK, and Google's "xx-hacker" dialect].

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 morphemes, the set of transliterations and corruptions increases. As the cipher was originally based upon English and the Latin alphabet, it is possible to derive a very basic set of common transliterations and corruptions.

Common transliterations

The cipher itself is highly dynamic, and subject to stylistic interpretation. A simple list of transliterations follows:

A 4, /\, @, /-\, ^, ä, ª, aye, ∂ H #, /-/, [-], ]-[, )-(, (-), :-:, |~| {=}, <~>, |-|, ]~[, }{, ]-[, ?, }-{ O 0, (), ?p, [], *, ö V \/
B 8, 6, 13, |3, ß, P>, |:, !3, (3, /3,)3 I 1, !, |, &, eye, 3y3, ï, ][, [] P |^, |*, |o, |º, |^(o), |>, |", 9, []D, |̊, |7 W \/\/, vv, '//, \^/, (n), \V/, \//, \X/, \|/, \_|_/, \_:_/, Ш
C [, ¢, <, (, © J j, _|, ;, _/, </, (/ Q q, (_,), ()_, 0_, <| X ><, Ж, }{, ecks or )(
D |), o|, [), I>, |>, ?, T) K X, |<, |{, ]{, }<, |( R |2, P\, |?, /2,|^, lz, ®, [z, 12, Я, 2 Y Y, y, j, `/, Ý, ÿ, ý, Ŷ, ŷ, Ÿ, Ϋ, Υ, Ψ, φ, λ, Ұ, ұ, ў, ץ ,צ,, Ч
E 3, &, £, ë, [-, €, ê, |=- L 1, £, 7 (note the use of 7 for either L or T), 1_, |, |_, #, l S S, s, 5, 2, $, z, §, ehs, es Z 2, z, ~\_, ~/_, %
F |=, ƒ, |#, i=, ph, /= M M, m, //., |v|, [V], {V}, |\/|, /\/\, (u), []V[], (V), (\/), /|\, Μ, М, м T 7, +, -|-, 1, '][', †
G G, g, 6, &, (_+, 9, C-, gee, (γ, N //, ^/, |\|, /\/, [\], , <\>, {\}, []\[], n, /V, ₪ U (_), |_|, v, ü

J, Q, and Y typically are not transliterated and are used as themselves. There are some common Leet alternatives for other sounds, e.g. "cks" is often replaced with an "x" as in "hax0r" and "sux0rs" (hacker and sucks/suckers). Characters such as € and ü are used, usually designating a new user or new member of the community.

Additionally, letters in the middle of words may be transposed. This has become the subject of some discussion in the linguistics community [1]. People seem to be able to discern meaning from words in which the first and last letters are correctly placed, even if the intervening leters are incorrectly placed.

The mispelling of "!"

  • The number 1 and the word "one" instead of exclamation points (!). Often used to show intense sarcasm (OMG I R TEH BEST!!!!11!one!11). Further, another common usage in this context is "eleven" as a substitute for multiple exclamation marks, as in: "I r0xx0red j00!!!!1!!11one!!eleven!!". Again this context denotes (extreme) sarcasm.
  • Along this line is the mispelling of "?" following the same line of "!" The most common being "/" and "slash", as in: W@t r j00 ta1kin b0u+, n00b???//??/?slash? ("What are you talking about noob?")
  • In addition to the "one," "two," and "slash" being used to accentuate the sarcasm of the statement, "+shift" or "+shifty" is used in the same manner, for example: "NOWAI!!11one1!one+shifty"

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.

Word endings

Use of x0r and "z0r"

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).

Originally in the phrase "r0x0r j00r b0x0rz", "b0x0rz" refers not to "boxers" (i.e. underwear) but actually to "boxes" (in computer slang: computers, though boxen 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.

The term "r0x0r j00r b0x0r" itself probably relates to hacking itself, with a person being able to gain access to and, from there, "rock their box". It is also possible that it is a derivative from "r0x0r j00r s0x0r", "rocks your socks". (The phrase is used to denote some magnitude or importance)

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" or "Bob are teh r0x0r" is deliberately used to increase the level of irony and to separate it from less ironic, true Leet. -xor is also sometimes used in user nicknames (e.g: "Luxxor").

Due to the phonetic sound of "xor" (ksor), Leet speakers quickly began using "zor" and "zorz" as well and in similar context. "zorz" however is often used on the end of every major word in a sentence for comedic effect such as "H0ly sh1tzorz j00 0wnzorzed himzorz upz!1"

Additionally, the suffix "izzle" may be added to words in the same way as "zor," "xor," and similar may be used. This practice entered the popular culture based upon rapper Snoop Dogg's use of the term.

Use of the -age suffix

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

Due to the fluid nature of Leet, such (derived) nouns can subsequently be used (again) as verbs: "h3 pwn4g3d m3," for example.

Words ending in -ed

Words ending in -ed may have -nt substituted. A common example of this would be pwned -> pwnt. This should not be confused with misspellings such as samrt for smart.

The grammar

Leet, like other 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 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. "Bob rocks" is weaker than "Bob r0xx0rz" (spelling) is weaker than "Bob is t3h 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"). "Pwnz0r3d" is used often in the same way as pwned hence "1 pwnz0r3d his @$5 L4s+ N1gh+ on C$" (I pwned his ass last night on CS (Counter-Strike))

Rhyming and rhythm

While Leet is not generally spoken, it can be deemed close to stress-timed. Care is taken by users of Leet to combine similarly timed words, or to encipher words into ways such that they have a common rhythm or rhyme. The archetypal example of this is the phrase "roffle my woffles" (note both spelling error, "woffle", and word timing). Other examples would be "r0xed j00r s0x" (in this case, only matching sounds). Leet can be highly lyrical and stylistic (even poetic) the way a typical pidgin language can be.

Over-exclamation and other emphasis

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. Some Leet speakers purposely type exactly one "1" for every 3 "!"s. This is a satire of noob players who let go of the shift key too soon and some of their intended exclamation marks become the number 1.

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 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 "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 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".

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". Also common is "NOWAY" (from "no way"). Constructions such as these are frequently reduced to abbreviations when their use becomes frequent, and repeated typing becomes time consuming (such as "holy fucking shit" -> "HOLYFUCKINGSHIT" -> "HFS!").

Vocabulary

Main article: Internet slang

Many words originally derived from Leet slang have now become part of the modern Internet slang, such as "pwned". Additionally, the common (intentional) misspellings such as "teh", and especially the "z" at the end of words ("skillz"). Another prominent example of a surviving Leet expression is the ever-popular "w00t". Gamers in particular may use Leet in a sarcastic manner, e.g. "ph34/2 m`/ 1337 sk1llz" ("Fear my leet skills"), as the practice is frowned upon by the community.

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) by issuing a simple command such as "!kick username." To foil this method, some users have resorted to making their usernames difficult to type. An example of this would be "E'li'†è Hàxo'r".

Additionally, new words (or corruptions thereof) may arise from a need to make one's username unique. As Internet gaming reaches more people, the number of names available to a given user is drastically reduced. While many users may wish to have the username "Muad'Dib", in many cases it is only possible for one user to have the monniker. As such, degradations of the name may evolve, such as "M00ad'd33b" and so on. As the Leet cipher is highly dynamic, there are virtually limitless combinations of phonemes and transliterations.

In addition to the common transliterations and enciphering, misspelling (intentionally) is particularly prevalent in Leet dialects.

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

  • "evar", "evah", and "eva" for "ever." Generally used the phrase "Worst. <something>. Evar." (Worst. Game. Evar.) This construct is largely credited as a reference to a phrase oft uttered by The Comic Book Guy, a recurring character on The Simpsons.
  • German "ist" for "is" has crept into Leet, including English encipherings. Frequently used with word "death". (mp3 ist death.) Also, "krieg" — German for "war" — in this context means, approximately, "favourable". (mp3 ist krieg). This may be a parody of the nargaroth song Black Metal Ist Krieg. Tends to be especially prevalent in heavy metal communities.
  • "smrt" or "samrt" for "smart" (The former may also be an intentional reference to an episode of The Simpsons in which 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 archetypal example of Leet's letter-transposition construction. Additionally, "teh" may have a different grammatical function than "the". Consider the following: "I rock" versus "I am teh r0xx0r."
  • "gom" for "omg" for "oh my god/gosh!". Originating from gomgomgom in which the user moved the last g to the beginning.
  • "pron", "prawn", "pr0n", etc., for porn. Due to the prevalence of pornography in Leet-speaking communities, "porn" has many derivatives.

Kekeke

It is widely believed that the expression "kekeke" comes from the Korean players of Starcraft who have a key on their keyboards that they use to express giggling or laughter and when typed in an English server it apears as the text "ke". It is commonly associated with the shallow but effective tactic in the game of amassing a large force of units known as Zergling or any type of Zerg unit and rushing the enemy base before they can properly defend themselves. The phrase "Zerg rush! kekeke!!" is often used out of context for any form of rushing or Blitzkrieg tactic, sometimes replacing "Zerg" with what suits the situation. In general, "kekeke" is used by North American and European gamers to mock both Korean adolescents and the Starcraft or even the whole Real Time Strategy community.

Pwn

Main article: pwn

Originating from a common misspelling of the word "own" (due to the proximity of 'P' and 'O' keys on Latin keyboards), pwn refers to the domination of a player in a video game (rather than just a win). For example, one pwning another is equivalent to scoring a dramatic kill, or several kills, in a video game shooter, against the other person. Similarly, to "get pwned" means that a more skilled player in a game has scored a convincing or even humiliating victory against you. Outside games 'pwnd' describes being in a highly humiliating position. The term "z0r" may also be suffixed for added affect: "pwnz0red". There is also pwnt, pwnded, and owndizzled.

Pwned can be pronounced phonetically several ways; Usually, the pronunciation is "owned", "powned", "punt", "pawned", "pooned", or "pioned". In terms of extreme excitement or joy, a Leet speaker may use the terms "pwikiwoned!!" or "pwakawakaowned!!".

The origin of the term is controversial and many claim to have invented it. Due to its nature, the error is most likely to have occured in several places at the same time, similar to the discovery of the J/ψ. The term may have originated from the relative proximity of the letter 'p' of pwned to the 'o' of owned. There are also theories of the term meaning pistol-owned and this is certainly used in particular circles. Another theory is that if you remove the verticle line on a 'p', it leaves the shape of an 'o'.

The use of the words "pwn," "pwned," and "pwnage" has recently become widespread and can occasionally find their way into common speech and refer to situations outside video games.

Cans of Pwnage

Cans of pwnage is a newly evolving term in 1337speak, which is traditionally used to denote "ownage" or "pwnage" in which the 1337 person (person A) typically pwns the "nubcake" or "nubcaek" (person B). So if person A got a headshot on person B, for example, person A may say something along the lines of "I just open3d a can of pwn4ge on you nubcake," or "I just opened a can of pwnage on you nubcake." The phrase originated from professional wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin's popular tagline "open up a can of whoop-ass."

Also used in the phrase "I need to go down to the corner store and buy some more cans of pwnage." Occasionally, when the 1337 speaker feels the need to be extremely 1337, a higher quantity of pwnage is used. For example, if person A just picked up the double damage and killed five players, he might exclaim "ph34r my keg of pwnage, nubcakes!!11" in which "ph34r," "keg of pwnage," "nubcakes," and over-exclamation are all used to heighten the dramatic effect and 1337ness of the speaker. The "keg" of pwnage, rather than merely a "can," especially correlates the effect, and the 1337 pwner feels extremely powerful.

Newbies and the nubcake

Main article: newbie

Within Leet, the term "newbie" (and derivations thereof) is used extensively. This is due in part to its origins as a means of segregating the "elite" echelon from outsiders. A contemporary derivative of "newbie" (or "n00b") is the "nubcake". Nubcake may be used in conjunction with puns such as "what do you eat for breakfast, nubcakes?" While nubcake is in itself not entirely offensive, it is derived fom the term "noob," which is generally viewed as being diminutive. Additionally, the term nubcake may evoke the pejorative "fruitcake," [2] which references homosexuals.

Further corruption of nubcake may lead to products such as nubcaek, nublet, nubsauce, and so on.

Roffle, Roffles, and combinations thereof

Main article: LOL (Internet slang)

Among the early Internet slang were "rofl," "lol," and others indicating an appreciation of humor. As such, derivations thereof quickly became incorporated into the Leet vocabulary. Leet is prone to corruptions of words to suit rhythm and rhyming. This, in addition to various plays on the word (such as the "ROFLCOPTER", "lollergasm," etc) has led to the creation of phrases such as "roffle my woffles" (misspelled for humor's sake).

Leet influence on other languages and character sets

Hong Kong Leet

Leet's influence on Chinese characters originated in online forums in Hong Kong. Corruptions generally begin by breaking characters into their elemental radicals. As with the original enciphering of the Latin character set, Hong Kong Leet may be viewed as rude in public arenas. However, it may also be used simply as a method of defeating automated censoring processes.

Examples:

Original Converted Meaning
硬膠仔 石更月翏亻子 Very stupid boy (vulgar)
不願作答 不原頁亻乍答 Not willing to answer it
鋪頭 金甫豆頁 A shop
仆街 亻卜彳圭亍 Fall down on the street (vulgar)

Kusachu Leet / 2ch slang

The Kusachu language (クサチュー語 or 勹廾千ｭ―言吾 Kusachū-go) is a form of Leet enciphering for Japanese. It is written with a set of characters that replace common Hiragana, Katakana and some Kanji characters which look similar to them. As with Hong Kong Leet, Kusachu Leet is primarily used in online forums, such as 2channel (or 2ch). The etymology of Kusachu derives from the words "Kusare," meaning "gone bad" or "rotten", and 厨房 ("kitchen"), which is pronounced the same as 中坊 ("junior high kid", 中=middle and 坊=kid in this context). 厨房 is itself "2ch slang" for "dimwit".

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 (an abbreviation process similar to "you" => "u"), 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.

Of Kusachu, there are many "dialects." Distinctions between dialects are not immediately easy to make. The character-splitting style is closest to Leet in that it may be hard to read for the uninitiated. By the same token, Kusachu, like other dialects of Leet, may be disliked by non-users of the cipher. The 2ch style is less corrupted than other forms of Leet, but it encompasses a larger novel vocabulary.

Examples:

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

Volapuk encoding

Main article: [[:Volapuk encoding]]

For IRC and other programs as well as when a suitable character/font set is lacking, some users of the cyrillic alphabet (such as in the Russian, Serbian, Belarusian, Ukrainian 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 may substitute 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 degrades 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:

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.

While both a transliteration system (above) and a pictogram system exist, they are not used in conjunction as the combination would be too difficult to understand.

Examples:

Similar/shared letters
Cyrillic ASCII
А A
Е E
М M
К K
О O
Т T
Letters converted by pronunciation
С S
Б B
Н N
B V
Х KH
Л L
Ф F
Д D
З Z
У U
И I
Й Y, J
Г G
П P
Р R
Ц Ts
Ч Ch
Ш Sh
Щ Sch
Ы Y, I (harder)
Э E (phonetically like "ae")
Ё Yo (in the beginning of the word), Io (in the end)
Ж Zh
Other converted letters
Ь(silenter) ' (apostrophe)
Ъ(hardener) " or (bracket / double apostrophe)
Pictograms
Ч 4
З 3
Б 6
Щ LL|
Ж }|{
ю |-0
Ш w
и u
м m

Greeklish

A similar method of enciphering is used for the same reasons as "Cyrillization" is Greeklish. Greeklish is a way of writing Greek using only Latin characters, punctuation and numerals. Like Cyrillization, Greeklish is often difficult to read even for native speakers and is frequently discouraged.

In Addition, many Leet words or slang have been internalized within the Greek spoken language through Greek gamers online in games such as World of Warcraft.

Examples:

Greeklish Explanation
Noobas, Noobidi, NoobAs "Noob" with a Greek masculine suffix (-as) and neutral (-idi)
Ownaro, OwnAro Meaning "I own"; used as a verb
Gkosas Stemming from the word Gosa, meaning experienced player
OMG, OhMiGi Mispronunciation of OMG (OhEmg); "Oh My God"

Problems classifying Leet as a language

Murky origins

Written languages evolved as a way to express concepts. Typically, a written language begins as a set of pictures representing concepts, which are subsequently distilled into pictograms. From these pictograms, a grammar and syntax can evolve. Leet is peculiar in that it did not evolve as a way to express ideas. Rather, it evolved as a way to express identities or belonging in social circles. In this respect, it is unique among languages.

Because Leet was never intended to stand on its own as a language, Leet lacks a spoken component. It can be viewed as having an almost parasitic relationship with spoken and other written language.

Thus, Leet is hard to classify as a language. Various terms which may apply to it are (but not limited to) "cipher," "creole," "pidgin," "dialect," and "slang."

Relative youth

While most languages have a long history, many being thousands of years old, Leet has no such history. In fact, Leet is no older than a few decades. Determining an exact taxonomy of Leet is therefore rather difficult. Leet is more accurately described in terms of itself. As Leet evolves, it gains more vocabulary and additionally nuanced syntax, through recursively applying its syntax to itself (in this respect, Leet is not unlike a recursive filter).

Lack of appropriate terminology

As Leet is largely defined in terms of itself, or the languages it corrupts, very little terminology exists to classify it. The term "meme" comes close in some respects, but fails significantly in others. The abovementioned terms fail in similar ways.

Problems publishing research

Because Leet is not an internationally recognized language (or officially a language at all), and because it lacks a set of formal definitions, referring to it in publications is difficult. Further, publishing research in Leet is problematic due to the a lack of proper indexing, professional sanctioning bodies, peer reviewers, and so on. To illustrate this, imagine a text written in Leet being indexed in a library in which most of the text is in English.

See also

Terminology

Leet in the Internet social corpus

References

  2. "Lexical tensions in 'internet english' : 1337 as language?", Van de Velde, Kristof and Meuleman, Jeroen, viewed 29 January, 2006 [3]
  3. "A History and Analysis of the 'l33t' Dialect", Dyck, Sasha, 12 January, 2003 [4]
  4. "According to research at Cambridge University ...", Davis, Matt, 2003 [5]
  5. "Can you raed this?", Slashdot.org, 15 September, 2003 [6]
  6. "E-commerce lexicon: communicating in brief", Jacobs, Joanne, viewed 29 January, 2006 [7]
  7. "Twin Language", Hudon, Mindy, viewed 29 January, 2006 [8]
  8. "Origins of Written Language", Gay, Greg, viewed 29 January, 2006 [9]

Leet guides and instruction

Translation tools

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