Editing Leet

{{short description|Online slang and alternative orthography}}
{{redirect|L337|the ''Star Wars'' character|Solo: A Star Wars Story{{!}}''Solo: A Star Wars Story''|other uses|Leet (disambiguation)}}
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{{More citations needed|date=December 2023}}
[[File:Leet_31337_h4x0r.jpg|thumb|An "eleet hacker" (31337 H4XØR) laptop sticker, along with a "Free [[Kevin Mitnick|Kevin]]" sticker]]

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

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

==History==
Leet originated within [[bulletin board system]]s (BBS) in the 1980s,<ref name=mitchell>Mitchell.</ref><ref name=bbc>An Explanation of l33t Speak.</ref> where having "elite" status on a BBS allowed a user access to file folders, games, and special chat rooms.  The [[Cult of the Dead Cow]] hacker collective has been credited with the original coining of the term, in their text-files of that era.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mello|first=John P.|url=http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/Google-Expands-Bug-Bounty-Program-81668.html|title=Google Expands Bug Bounty Program|date=February 2, 2015|website=E-Commerce Times}}</ref> One theory is that it was developed to defeat [[wordfilter|text filters]] created by BBS or [[Internet Relay Chat]] [[system operators]] for message boards to discourage the discussion of forbidden topics, like [[Software cracking|cracking]] and [[Hacker (computer security)|hacking]].<ref name=mitchell/>

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

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

Leet symbols, especially the number 1337, are [[Internet meme]]s that have spilled over into some culture. Signs that show the numbers "1337" are popular motifs for pictures and are shared widely across the Internet.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2014/03/11/opinion/10-classic-internet-memes/index.html|title=10 classic memes that owned the Internet|first=Ben|last=Huh|website=[[CNN]]|date=March 12, 2014|access-date=April 23, 2013}}</ref>

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

==Orthography==
One of the hallmarks of leet is its unique approach to [[orthography]], using substitutions of other letters, or indeed of characters other than letters, to represent letters in a word.<ref name=sterling>Sterling, 70.</ref><ref name="goss 80">Blashki & Nichol, 80.</ref> For more casual use of leet, the primary strategy is to use quasi-[[homoglyph]]s, symbols that closely resemble (to varying degrees) the letters for which they stand. 

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

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

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

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

Some examples of leet include:
* ''[[BIFF (Usenet)|B1ff]]''.
* ''n00b'' -- a term for "noob", the stereotypical [[newbie]].
* The '''l33t''' programming language.
* ''"E5C4P3"'': stylized cover of [[Journey (band)|Journey]]'s [[Escape_(Journey_album)|Escape]] album.
* ''k3w1'' deciphers as "kewl" (which is derived from "cool").
* The web-comics ''[[Megatokyo]]'' and ''[[Homestuck]]'', which contain characters who speak variations of leet.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gallagher |first1=Fred |last2=Caston |first2=Rodney |title="MegaTokyo - [9] Speak L33t?" |url=https://megatokyo.com/strip/9 |website=MegaTokyo |access-date=2024-01-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hussie |first1=Andrew |title===> |url=https://www.homestuck.com/story/1528 |website=Homestuck |access-date=2024-01-31}}</ref>
* The digit "5" in [[Deadmau5]] nickname.
* "DEF 4L7" plates are used by Defalt (''[[sic!]]''), a hacker from the [[Watch Dogs]] videogame (the first in the series). "DefAlt" nickname is a possible reference to "default [settings]" <!-- "Defalt" without the "u" !-->
* Upside-down "1337" (with a bar under "1") also reads as "LEET" (see example on the photo).
* "1 (4/\/"7 |_|/\/[)3|2574/\/[) '/0|_||2 \/\/|2171/\/9.17’5 (0/\/|=|_|51/\/9" is heavily leet-styled "I can’t understand your writing. It’s confusing".
* Sometimes, a word can be typed in leet with digits only:
** "360" codes word "EGO" in leet.
** "1687" or "1987" can be used to hint to IGBTs, e.g. [[insulated-gate bipolar transistor]]s.
** "2007 2008" deciphers as "''QOOT QOOB''" (which is derived from "cute cube").
** "2077" (as a hint to [[Cyberpunk 2077]]) can be found in [[Zott (dairy company)|"ZOTT"]] logo;
** "11363015" means ''LIEGEOIS'', e.g. [[Liège]]. <!-- "''Liégeois''" is also a name for a certain popular product by Zott. !-->
** "12314734813" happens to cover "RELATEABLE" word.
** "137 17 83 137 17 60" hides "let it be, let it go" phrase
** "4150" may stand for "ALSO"
** "33571 - 18124" unravels as "''[[Eesti]] - [[Ibiza]]''".
* Alternatively, sometimes 3 or 6 letters can be leet-ified into a valid [[Web colors|hexadecimal color code]]:
** <span style="color:#614D05">█</span> "614D05" is a valid HEX-code for a dark shade of gold color, referencing [[GLaDOS]];
** <span style="color:#572E55">█</span> "572E55" (or <span style="color:#572355">█</span> "572355") is a dark purple color, coming from the word "STRESS";
** <span style="color:#1C373A">█</span> "1C373A" is a dark cyan ("icy") color, derived from "ICE TEA";
** <span style="color:#C47C47">█</span> "C47C47" is a peach-orange color related to [[cat]]s;
** <span style="color:#C01025">█</span> "C01025" is a pink-ish shade of red, derived from the word "COLORS";
** <span style="color:#D35327">█</span> "D35327" is a dark orange color, produced from "DESERT" word.
** <span style="color:#B07713">█</span> "80771E" is a yellowish-orange color, produced from "BOTTLE" word.
** <span style="color:#B00B15">█</span> "B00B15" is a redish color, derived from the misspelled "[[Breast|BOOBIES]]" word.
** <span style="color:#B4DD1E">█</span> "B4DD1E" is a yellowish-green color, produced from "BADDIE" word.
* It is possible to spell words and names in leet-speak to create additional references. 
** For example, the female name "Marisa" can be spelled as /\/\AR15/\ - with a reference to the [[AR-15]] platform. 
** 834-613 means [[Beagle|BEA-GLE]] all while also referencing to the [[Beagle Boys]] and their names (e.g. 6-digit IDs) in particular.
** 2017Δ1337 is a reference to [[Colt Delta Elite]], where "2017" stands for "Qolt" (derived from "Colt") and "1337" bears aforementioned "Elite" meaning.

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


=== Table of leet-speak substitutes for normal letters ===
{| class="wikitable" style="empty-cells: show; text-align:center;"
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
!A
!B
!C
!D
!E
!F
!G
!H
!I
!J
!K
!L
!M
!N
!O
!P
!Q
!R
!S
!T
!U
!V
!W
!X
!Y
!Z
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|<!--A-->| <code> a <br> 4 <br> /\ <br> [[@]] <br> /-\ <br> ^  <br>(L<br> [[Д]]</code>
|<!--B-->| <code> b <br> I3 <br> 8 <br> 13 <br> |3 <br> [[ß]] <br> !3 <br> (3 <br> /3 <br>)3 <br> |-] <br> j3 </code>
|<!--C-->| <code> c <br> [ <br> [[¢]] <br> < <br> (<br> [[©]]</code>
|<!--D-->| <code> d <br> ) <br> |) <br> (| <br> [) <br> I> <br> |> <br> ? <br> T) <br> I7 <br> cl <br> |} <br> |] </code>
|<!--E-->| <code> e <br> 3 <br> & <br> [[£]] <br> [[€]] <br>  [- <br> |=- </code>
|<!--F-->| <code> f <br> |= <br> [[ƒ]] <br> |# <br> ph <br> /= <br> v </code>
|<!--G-->| <code> g <br> 6 <br> & <br> (_+ <br> 9 <br> C- <br> gee <br> (?, <br> [, <br> {, <br> <- <br>(. </code>
|<!--H-->| <code> h <br> [[Hash symbol|#]] <br> /-/ <br>\-\ [-] <br> ]-[ <br>)-(<br> (-) <br> :-: <br> |~| <br> |-| <br> ]~[ <br> }{ <br> !-! <br> 1-1 <br> \-/ <br> I+I <br> ? </code>
|<!--I-->| <code> i <br> 1 <br> | <br> ][ <br> ! <br> eye <br> 3y3 </code>
|<!--J-->| <code> j <br> ,_| <br> _| <br> ._| <br> ._] <br> _] <br> ,_] <br> ] </code>
|<!--K-->| <code> k <br> >| <br> |< <br> 1< <br> |c <br> |(</code>7<
|<!--L-->| <code> l <br> 1 <br> 7 <br> 2 <br> £ <br> |_ <br> |</code>
|<!--M-->| <code> m <br> /\/\ <br> /V\ <br> [V] <br> |\/| <br> ^^ <br> <\/> <br> {V} <br> (v) <br> (V) <br> |\|\ <br> ]\/[ <br> nn </code><code> 11 </code>
|<!--N-->| <code> n <br> ^/ <br> |\| <br> /\/ <br> [\] <br> <\> <br> {\} <br> /V <br> ^ <br> ท <br> [[И]] <br> </code>
|<!--O-->| <code> o <br> 0 <br> () <br> oh <br> [] <br> p <br> <> <br> Ø </code>
|<!--P-->| <code> p <br> |* <br> |o <br> |[[º]] <br> ? <br> |^ <br> |> <br> |" <br> 9 <br> []D <br> |[[°]]  |7 </code>
|<!--Q-->| <code> q <br> (_,) <br> ()_ <br> 2 <br> 0_ <br> <| <br> & <br> 9 <br> [[¶]] <br> ⁋ <br> [[℗]] </code>
|<!--R-->| <code> r <br> I2 <br> 9 <br> |` <br> |~ <br> |? <br> /2 <br> |^ <br> lz <br> 7 <br> 2 <br> 12 <br>[[®]] <br> [z <br> [[Я]] <br> .- </code> <br> |2 <br> |-
3 <br> 4
|<!--S-->| <code> s <br> 5 <br> $ <br> z <br> [[§]] <br> ehs <br> es <br> 2 </code>
|<!--T-->| <code> t <br> 7 <br> + <br> <nowiki>-|-</nowiki> <br> '][' <br> [[†]] <br> «|» <br> ~|~ </code>
|<!--U-->| <code> u <br> (_) <br> |_| <br> v <br> L| <br> บ </code>
|<!--V-->| <code> v <br> \/ <br> |/ <br> \| <br> </code>
|<!--W-->| <code> w <br> \/\/ <br> vv <br> \N <br> '// <br> \\' <br> \^/ <br> \/\/ <br> (n) <br> \V/ <br> \X/ <br> \|/ <br> \_|_/ <br> \_:_/ <br> uu <br> 2u <br> \\//\\// <br> พ <br> [[₩]] <br>[[Omega|ω]]<br /></code>
|<!--X-->| <code> x <br> >< <br> }{ <br> ecks <br> [[×]] <br> [[?]] <br> }{ <br>)(<br> ][ </code>
|<!--Y-->| <code> y <br> j <br> `/ <br> \|/ <br> [[¥]] <br> \//</code><code><nowiki>`|΄ </nowiki></code>
|<!--Z-->| <code> z <br> 2 <br> 7_ <br> -/_ <br> % <br> >_ <br> s <br> ~/_ <br> -\_ <br /> -|_</code>
|}

==Morphology==

Text rendered in leet is often characterized by distinctive, recurring forms.
;''-xor'' suffix
:The meaning of this suffix is parallel with the English ''-er'' and ''-or'' suffixes (seen in ''hacker'' and ''lesser'')<ref name=bbc/> in that it derives [[agent noun]]s from a verb [[stem (linguistics)|stem]]. It is realized in two different forms: ''-xor'' and ''-zor'', {{IPAc-en|-|s|ɔːr}} and {{IPAc-en|-|z|ɔːr}}, respectively. For example, the first may be seen in the word ''hax(x)or'' (''H4x0r'' in leet) {{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|æ|k|s|ɔːr}} and the second in [[#Owned and pwned|''pwnzor'']] {{IPAc-en|ˈ|oʊ|n|z|ɔːr}}. Additionally, this [[nominalization]] may also be [[inflection|inflected]] with all of the suffixes of regular [[English verbs]]. The letter 'o' is often replaced with the numeral 0.
;''-age'' suffix
:Derivation of a noun from a verb stem is possible by attaching ''-age'' to the base form of any verb. Attested derivations are ''pwnage'', ''skillage'',  and ''speakage''. However, leet provides exceptions; the word ''leetage'' is acceptable, referring to actively being ''leet''.<ref name="goss 79">Blashki & Nichol, 79.</ref> These nouns are often used with a form of "to be" rather than "to have," e.g., "that was pwnage" rather than "he has pwnage". Either is a more emphatic way of expressing the simpler "he pwns," but the former implies that the person is ''embodying'' the trait rather than merely possessing it.
;''-ness'' suffix
:Derivation of a noun from an adjective stem is done by attaching ''-ness'' to any adjective. This is entirely the same as the English form, except it is used much more often in Leet. Nouns such as ''lulzness'' and ''leetness'' are derivations using this suffix.
;Words ending in ''-ed''
:When forming a past participle ending in ''-ed'', the Leet user may replace the ''-e'' with an apostrophe, as was common in [[poetry]] of previous centuries, (e.g. "pwned" becomes "pwn'd"). Sometimes, the apostrophe is removed as well (e.g. "pwned" becomes "pwnd"). The word ending may also be substituted by ''-t'' (e.g. ''pwned'' becomes ''pwnt'').<ref name="blanc33">LeBlanc, 33.</ref>
;Use of the ''-&'' suffix
:Words ending in ''-and'', ''-anned'', ''-ant'', or a similar sound can sometimes be spelled with an [[ampersand]] (''&'') to express the ending sound (e.g. "This is the [[Sandbox (software development)|s&box]]", "I'm sorry, you've been b&", "&hill/&farm"). It is most commonly used with the word ''banned''. An alternative form of "B&" is "B7", as the ampersand is with the "7" key on the standard US keyboard.  It is often seen in the abbreviation "IBB7" (in before banned), which indicates that the poster believes that a previous poster will soon be banned from the site, channel, or board on which they are posting.

==Grammar==

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

[[File:Ami encoding.svg|thumb|"1337" represented in both [[binary number|binary]] and [[Bipolar encoding|alternate mark inversion]]]]<!-- [[File:Manchester encoding.svg|thumb|1337 as a [[binary]] representation]] -->
Leet has its own colloquialisms, many of which originated as jokes based on common typing errors, habits of new computer users, or knowledge of [[cyberculture]] and history.<ref name="goss 81">Blashki & Nichol, 81.</ref> Leet is not solely based upon one language or character set. Greek, Russian, and other languages have leet forms, and leet in one language may use characters from another where they are available. As such, while it may be referred to as a "[[cipher]]", a "dialect", or a "language", leet does not fit squarely into any of these categories. The term ''leet'' itself is often written ''31337'', or ''1337'', and many other variations. After the meaning of these became widely familiar, ''10100111001'' came to be used in its place, because it is the [[Binary numeral system|binary]] form of ''1337'' decimal, making it more of a puzzle to interpret. An increasingly common characteristic of leet is the changing of grammatical usage so as to be deliberately incorrect. The widespread popularity of deliberate misspelling is similar to the cult following of the "[[All your base are belong to us]]" phrase. Indeed, the online and computer communities have been international from their inception, so spellings and phrases typical of non-native speakers are quite common.

==Vocabulary==
[[File:Chaos_Communication_Camp_2007_-_ftp_telnet_tshirt.JPG|thumb|A [[CCCamp]] t-shirt using leet to highlight [[password]] vulnerability]]
Many words originally derived from leet have now become part of modern [[Internet slang]], such as "[[#Owned and pwned|pwned]]".<ref name=mitchell/> The original driving forces of new vocabulary in leet were common misspellings and typing errors such as "[[teh]]" (generally considered lolspeak), and intentional misspellings,<ref name="goss 83">Blashki & Nichol, 83.</ref> especially the "z" at the end of words ("skillz").<ref name=mitchell/> Another prominent example of a surviving leet expression is ''[[w00t]]'', an exclamation of joy.<ref name=bbc/> w00t is sometimes used as a [[backronym]] for "We owned the other team."

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

Additionally, ''leet''—the word itself—can be found in the [[User (computing)|screen-names]] and [[gamertags]] of many Internet and video games. Use of the term in such a manner announces a high level of skill, though such an announcement may be seen as baseless [[hubris]].<ref name=hope>Computer Hope Dictionary.</ref>{{More detail needed}}<!-- This seems short. --> 
<!-- NOTE: ANY FURTHER ADDITIONS MUST HAVE A PROPER REFERENCE OR WILL BE REMOVED PER WP:OR -->

===Terminology and common misspellings===
''[[Warez]]'' (nominally {{IPAc-en|w|ɛər|z}}) is a plural shortening of "software", typically referring to cracked and redistributed software.<ref name=hope/> ''[[Phreaking]]'' refers to the hacking of telephone systems and other non-Internet equipment.<ref name=mitchell/> ''[[Teh]]'' originated as a typographical error of "the", and is sometimes spelled ''t3h''.<ref name=mitchell/><ref name="blanc34 35">LeBlanc, 34-35.</ref> ''j00'' takes the place of "you",<ref name=bbc/> originating from the [[affricate]] sound that occurs in place of the [[palatal approximant]], {{IPA|/j/}}, when ''you'' follows a word ending in an [[alveolar consonant|alveolar]] [[plosive]] consonant, such as {{IPA|/t/}} or {{IPA|/d/}}. Also, from German, is ''[[wiktionary:über|über]]'', which means "over" or "above"; it usually appears as a prefix attached to adjectives, and is frequently written without the [[Umlaut (diacritic)|umlaut]] over the ''u''.<ref name=dutch>Van de Velde & Meuleman.</ref>

====Haxor and suxxor (suxorz)====
''Haxor'', and derivations thereof, is leet for "hacker",<ref name="blanc30 32">LeBlanc, 30; 32.</ref> and it is one of the most commonplace examples of the use of the ''-xor'' suffix. ''Suxxor'' (pronounced suck-zor) is a derogatory term which originated in [[warez]] culture and is currently{{when|date=February 2023}} used in multi-user environments such as multiplayer video games and [[instant messaging]]; it, like ''haxor'', is one of the early leet words to use the ''-xor'' suffix. ''Suxxor'' is a modified version of "sucks" (the phrase "to suck"), and the meaning is the same as the English slang. ''Suxxor'' can be mistaken with ''Succer/Succker'' if used in the wrong context. Its negative definition essentially makes it the opposite of ''roxxor'', and both can be used as a verb or a noun. The letters ''ck'' are often replaced with the Greek Χ ([[Chi (letter)|chi]]) in other words as well.

====n00b====
{{main|Newbie}}

Within leet, the term ''n00b'' (and derivations thereof) is used extensively. The term is derived from ''[[newbie]]'' (as in new and inexperienced, or uninformed),<ref name="goss 83"/><ref name=dutch/><ref name=acronym/> and is used to differentiate "n00bs" from the "elite" (or even "normal") members of a group.

====Owned and pwned====
{{anchor|Pwn}}
{{redirect|Pwn}}
[[File:Laugh-Out-Loud Cats 736.jpg|thumb|An example of the term ''pwned'' in a'' [[Laugh-Out-Loud Cats]]'' comic strip]]
''Owned'' and ''pwned'' (generally pronounced "poned"<ref name="mw">[https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/pwn-what-it-means-and-how-you-say-it Merriam-Webster: What Does 'Pwn' Mean? And how do you say it?]</ref> [pʰo͡ʊnd]) both refer to the domination of a player in a video game or argument (rather than just a win), or the successful hacking of a website or computer.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://publik.tuwien.ac.at/files/pub-inf_4395.pdf |title=Pwned – 10 Tales of Appropriation in Video Games|author= Pichlmair, Martin}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Computer Slang |url=http://books.ifmo.ru/book/vip/196.pdf |date=December 9, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081209115317/http://books.ifmo.ru/book/vip/196.pdf |archive-date=December 9, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Ludlow|first1=Peter|last2=Wallace|first2=Mark|date=2007|title=The Second Life Herald|publisher=MIT Press|page=[https://archive.org/details/secondlifeherald00ludl/page/53 53]|isbn=978-0-262-12294-8|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/secondlifeherald00ludl/page/53}}</ref><ref name=mitchell/><ref name=dutch/><ref name="blanc32 33">LeBlanc, 32-33.</ref>  It is a slang term derived from the verb ''[[Owned (slang)|own]]'', meaning to appropriate or to conquer to gain ownership. As is a common characteristic of leet, the terms have also been adapted into noun and adjective forms,<ref name=dutch/> ''ownage'' and ''pwnage'', which can refer to the situation of ''pwning'' or to the superiority of its subject (e.g., "He is a very good player. He is pwnage.").

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

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

== See also ==
{{Portal|Internet|Language}}
* [[All your base are belong to us]]
* [[Calculator spelling]]
** [[7-segment display]]
* [[Faux Cyrillic]] and [[Engrish]]
* [[Geek Code]]
* [[Gyaru-moji]], a similar phenomenon in Japanese language
* [[Hexspeak]]
* [[IDN homograph attack]]
* [[Jargon File]], a glossary and usage dictionary of computer programmer slang
* [[LOLCAT]] and its "lolspeak", a similar phenomenon in 21st century English language
* [[Martian language]], a similar phenomenon in Chinese language
* [[Padonkaffsky jargon]], a similar phenomenon in Russian language
* [[SMS language]]
* [[Yaminjeongeum]], a similar phenomenon in Korean language
* [[YOGTZE]] case, involving interpreting the word's letters as digits

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite web | url=http://acronymfinder.com/ | title=The Acronym Finder | publisher=Mountain Data Systems, LLC  | access-date=2007-04-11 }} {{fix|text=inline citation needed|date=May 2020}}
* {{cite web | title=An Explanation of l33t Speak | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A787917 | work=h2g2 | publisher=BBC | date=2002-08-16 | access-date=2007-03-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110906114613/http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/dna/h2g2/A787917 | archive-date=2011-09-06 }}
* {{Cite journal | journal = Australian Journal of Emerging Technologies and Society | volume = 3 | issue=2 |
 title = Game Geek's Goss: Linguistic Creativity In Young Males Within An Online University Forum | last1 = Blashki | first1 = Katherine | last2 = Nichol | first2 = Sophie | year=2005 | pages=77–86 | url = http://www.swinburne.edu.au/sbs/ajets/journal/V3N2/pdf/V3N2-2-Blashki.pdf }}
* {{cite web | title=Computer Hope Dictionary - Game definitions | url=http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/game.htm | publisher=Computer Hope | access-date=2007-04-02}} {{fix|text=inline citation needed|date=May 2020}}
* {{cite web | url=http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/ | title=The Free Dictionary -- Acronyms  | work=The Free Dictionary | publisher=Farlex, Inc | access-date=2007-04-11 }} {{fix|text=inline citation needed|date=May 2020}}
* {{cite web|title=Google Directory - Computers |url=http://www.google.org/alpha/Top/Computers/Programming/Languages/Obfuscated/ |access-date=2007-04-29 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930224351/http://www.google.org/alpha/Top/Computers/Programming/Languages/Obfuscated/ <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2007-09-30}} {{fix|text=inline citation needed|date=May 2020}}
* {{cite book|title=E-Mail Essentials: How to Make the Most of E-Communications|last=Haig|first=Matt|year=2001|publisher=Kogan Page|isbn=978-0-7494-3576-9|page=89}} {{fix|text=inline citation needed|date=May 2020}}
* {{cite thesis | last=LeBlanc | first=Tracy Rene | date=May 2005 | title="Is There A Translator in Teh House?": Cultural and Discourse Analysis of a Virtual Speech Community on an Internet Message Board | type=MA thesis | publisher=Louisiana State University | url=https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/4112/ |doi=10.31390/gradschool_theses.4112 | doi-access=free }}
* {{cite web | title=A Leet Primer | last=Mitchell | first=Anthony | date=2006-06-12 | access-date=2007-04-10 | url=https://www.technewsworld.com/story/47607.html | work=Technology News | publisher=ECT News Network, Inc | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110030926/https://www.technewsworld.com/story/47607.html | archive-date=2020-11-10 }}
* {{Cite journal 
| last1 = Perea | first1 = M. 
| last2 = Duñabeitia | first2 = J. A. 
| last3 = Carreiras | first3 = M. 
| doi = 10.1037/0096-1523.34.1.237 
| title = R34D1Ng W0Rd5 W1Th Numb3R5 
| journal = Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance 
| volume = 34 
| issue = 1 
| pages = 237–241 
| year = 2008 
| pmid = 18248151 
| s2cid = 6054151 
| url = http://www.uv.es/~mperea/leet1.pdf
|issn=0096-1523}} {{fix|text=inline citation needed|date=May 2020}}
* {{Cite book|title=The New Hacker's Dictionary|last1=Raymond|first1=Eric R.|last2=Steele|first2=Guy L.|year=1996|publisher=MIT Press|isbn=978-0-262-68092-9}} {{fix|text=inline citation needed|date=May 2020}}
* {{cite web | title=relax we understand j00 | last=Rome | first=James Andrew | date=2001-12-18 | access-date=2007-05-03 | publisher=[[Sigma Tau Delta]], The International English Honor Society. [[Case Western University]], Beta Beta Chapter | url=http://www.case.edu/orgs/sigmataudelta/submissions/rome-relaxweunderstand.htm |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070216195207/http://www.case.edu/orgs/sigmataudelta/submissions/rome-relaxweunderstand.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2007-02-16}}
* {{cite book | last=Sterling | first=Bruce | author-link=Bruce Sterling | title =The Hacker Crackdown: Law and Disorder on the Electronic Frontier | journal=Printout of the Electronic Version | publisher=Bantam Spectra Books | location=New York | year=1994 | page=[https://archive.org/details/hackercrackdown00bruc/page/70 70] | isbn=978-0-553-56370-2 | title-link=The Hacker Crackdown | bibcode=1994hcld.book.....S }}
* {{cite web | title=Lexical tensions in 'internet english' : 1337 as language? | last=Van de Velde | first=Kristof | author2=Meuleman, Jeroen | year=2004 | access-date=2007-04-13 | url=http://www.verbumvanum.org/kristof/index.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070429020757/http://www.verbumvanum.org/kristof/index.html | archive-date=2007-04-29 | url-status=dead }}
* {{cite web | url=http://pages.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/~crwth/LOL.html | title=The creation of "LOL" | first=Wayne | last=Pearson | access-date=2008-11-06}} {{fix|text=inline citation needed|date=May 2020}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite thesis |last=Katelnikoff |first=Joel |date= 2013 |title=SCROLL / NETWORK / HACK: A Poetics of ASCII Literature (1983-1989) |type=PhD dissertation |publisher=University of Alberta |url=https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/e81f69d0-7ce9-4013-8d73-8b06eef85b2f |doi=10.7939/R3PG1J01C }}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|leet}}
*{{cite web
| url = https://www.osgu.ac.in/programs/bachelor-of-computer-science-engineering-b-tech-cse-cse-leet/
| title = B.Tech/B.Tech (Leet) - CSE (Cloud technology, information security, data science, artificial intelligence, cyber security)
| work = www.osgu.ac.in/programs [[OM Sterling Global University]]
| archive-url = https://archive.today/20210522164358/https://www.osgu.ac.in/programs/bachelor-of-computer-science-engineering-b-tech-cse-cse-leet/
| archive-date = May 22, 2021
| accessdate = May 22, 2021
| url-status = live
}}

{{Internet Dialects}}
{{internet slang}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Leet| ]]
[[Category:Alphabets]]
[[Category:Encodings]]
[[Category:In-jokes]]
[[Category:Internet culture]]
[[Category:Internet memes]]
[[Category:Internet slang]]
[[Category:Latin-script representations]]
[[Category:Nerd culture]]
[[Category:Nonstandard spelling]]
[[Category:1990s slang]]