leet speak
Numbers replace letters
Leet speak is an informal writing system that substitutes letters with visually similar numbers or symbols: 3 for E, 1 for I, @ for A, 0 for O.
It emerged in early internet culture, particularly among hackers and gamers, as a way to evade text filters or signal insider status.
The name comes from "elite" rendered as "1337" or "l33t." Once a marker of technical sophistication, it now reads as ironic or nostalgic: h4x0r, n00b, pwn3d.
- hackerUnauthorized system accessor
- script kiddieUnskilled person using premade exploits
- netspeakInformal online language
- internet slangCasual online expressions
- pwnedUtterly defeated, gaming slang
n00b · elite · cyberculture · early internet · chatroom · online gaming · gaming · substitution · numbers · letters · code · underground · internet · warez · BBS · message board · oldschool · keyboard
- hackinghacker, exploit, hacking, dictionary attack, backdoor
- communication systemsalphabet, sign language, Braille, Morse code, hieroglyphics
- secret codescipher, secret code, secret codes, code word, password
- language varietiesdialect, idiolect, sociolect, vernacular, accent
- invented speechgibberish, gobbledygook, double-talk, jabberwocky, mumbo jumbo
leet speakacademic writing
Formal research communication
business English · legal language · official correspondence · diplomatic language · professional writing
leet, speak, speaks, speaking, spoke, spoken, speaker, speakers, speakable