leetspeak

Numbers replacing letters

Leetspeak is a style of writing that substitutes numbers and symbols for letters they resemble: 3 for E, 4 for A, 0 for O, 1 for I or L.

It originated in early internet culture, particularly among hackers and gamers: h4x0r for hacker, n00b for newbie, pwn3d for pwned.

The term comes from "elite speak." Once a marker of insider status, it now reads as playful or ironic, sometimes mocking the very subcultures that created it.

gaming

hacker

Unauthorized system accessor

eliteSuperior select group
noobInternet slang for beginner
pwnedUtterly defeated, gaming slang

n00b · gamer · multiplayer · chat · username · handle · clan · server · Quake · Counter-Strike

history

1980s

Fourth-to-last twentieth-century decade

1990sFinal twentieth-century decade
bulletinBrief public announcement
dial-upPhone-line internet connection

modem · ASCII · warez · piracy · cracker · phreaking · underground · subversive · cipher · code

internet

meme

Shared online humor

4chanAnonymous posting site
forumGathering place for discourse
trollingProvoking reactions online

BBS · IRC · chatroom · message board · cyberculture · online · anonymous · subculture · slang · jargon

orthography

n00b

Inexperienced online participant

pwnedUtterly defeated, gaming slang
w00tInternet cheer expression
l33tAlphanumeric internet dialect

uber · epic

leetspeak

hacker

1980s

meme

n00b

leetspeak

Opposites

Categories

Family