What is Leetspeak?

You've probably heard the word leetspeak, but what is it, how do you use it, and where did it come from?

What is Leetspeak?

Leetspeak is the use of numbers in place of letters. For example, you might have seen the words 1337 (leet, or elite) or hax0r (haxor or hacker).

L33tsp38k is about 40 years old, and much like the mullet of the '80s or saying "gag me with a spoon," its time has come and gone.

In technology, like anything else, what was cool years ago no longer is, and leetspeak is an excellent example.

Where Did Leetspeak Begin?

Leetspeak goes back to before the internet. That's right, kids, before the internet, we used Bulletin Board Systems, or BBS, to connect with people over phone lines. They weren't all that different from today's discussion forums. Actually, each BBS was often specific to a topic like downloading, hacking, and some illegal activities. Many of these boards were then called elite BBSes, and the culture began.

Leetspeak began to try to "encrypt messages" or to get around filters on BBSes. One of the most popular uses was to say pr0n instead of porn to get around filters.

It was also actually pretty cool back then. You could spot other geeks, and sometimes you had to know leetspeak to register on a BBS.

You could also type something that you're parents wouldn't understand should they see it.

How to Use Leetspeak?

First, don't.

Otherwise, there aren't any rules, so one couldn't call it a unique language with a right or wrong. So, replace random letters with similar-looking numbers, and you're speaking leetspeak. For example, an l can be a 1. An o can be a 0. An a can be an 8. An e can be a 3. It helps if the number is similar to the letter; otherwise, you're doing it wrong.

For example, you could use l3375p34k (leetspeak) or h4ck3r (hacker).

One of the few places we still see this used, no surprise, is Facebook. So, when you see something like "0nly r34lly 5m4r7 p30pl3 c4n r34d 7h15," please don't share it. You can read it, we can read it, and no one should have to.

You can encode or decode leetspeak with the Universal Leet Converter.

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