leet

Numbers replacing letters

Leet is internet slang for elite, originating in early online communities and gaming culture.

The term often appears in "leet speak" or "1337 speak"—a style of writing that replaces letters with numbers and symbols (E becomes 3, A becomes 4, T becomes 7).

Someone with leet skills is highly proficient, especially at hacking or gaming: His leet programming skills got him the job.

The style peaked in the 1990s and early 2000s but persists ironically or nostalgically.

slang

pwn

Dominate utterly, online

noobInternet slang for beginner
n00bInexperienced online participant
w00tInternet cheer expression

omg · ftw · lulz · epic · fail · win · owned · uber · newbie · kewl

orthography

substitution

Exchange of one for another

alphanumericLetters and digits combined
characterNature, symbol, or role
numeralSymbol denoting quantity

symbol · transliteration · obfuscation · encoding · typography · cypher · stylization · ASCII · keyboard · text

nostalgia

vintage

Quality from past eras

retroEvoking recent past
oldschoolAdhering to past methods
BBSEarly online message system

IRC · Usenet · dialup · AOL · ICQ · ANSI · textfile · zine · underground · cyberpunk

hacking

cracking

Breaking without separating completely

phreakingExploiting telephone networks illicitly
exploitNotable act or abuse
rootkitHidden unauthorized access software

backdoor · botnet · defacement · intrusion · vulnerability · zero-day · payload · keylogger · malware · blackhat

gaming

frag

Attack with grenade

headshotShoulders-up photograph
speedrunOptimized rapid game completion
noobInternet slang for beginner

griefer · guild · clan · respawn · camping · aimbot · glitching · modding · leaderboard · ranked

leet

pwn

substitution

vintage

cracking

frag

leet

Opposites

Phrases

Categories

Family