Leet
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Leet (or "1337"), also known as eleet or leetspeak, is a system of modified spellings used primarily on the
The term
"leet" is derived from the word
History
Leet originated within
Once reserved for
Leet symbols, especially the number 1337, are Internet memes 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.[6]
Algospeak
Algospeak shares conceptual similarities with leet, albeit with its primary purpose to circumvent algorithmic
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.[14][15] For more casual use of leet, the primary strategy is to use quasi-homoglyphs, 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,
- 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.[1] Limitations imposed by websites on password length (usually no more than 36) and the characters permitted (e.g. alphanumeric and symbols)[16] require less extensive forms when used in this application.
Some examples of leet include:
- B1ff.
- n00b -- a term for "noob", the stereotypical newbie.
- The l33t programming language.
- "E5C4P3": stylized cover of Journey's 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.[17][18]
- The digit "5" in Deadmau5 nickname.
- Upside-down "1337" (with a bar under "1") also reads as "LEET" (example on the photo).
- "DEF 4L7" plates are used by Defalt, a hacker from the Watch Dogs videogame (the first in the series).
- "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 transistors.
- "2007 2008" deciphers as "qoot qoob" (which is derived from "cute cube").
- "2077" (as a hint to Cyberpunk 2077) can be jokingly used towards "ZOTT" dairy brand;
- "11363015" means LIEGEOIS, e.g. Liège.
- "4150" may stand for "ALSO"
- "33571 - 18124" unravels as "Eesti - Ibiza".
- Spelling given names in Leet in a way the output would reference to something is also possible.
- Say, girl name "Marisa" can be spelled as /\/\AR15/\ - with a reference to the AR-15platform.
- Say, girl name "Marisa" can be spelled as /\/\AR15/\ - with a reference to the
- Alternatively, an abbreviation can be leet-ified into a valid hexadecimal color code
- "614D05" is a valid color HEX-code, referencing to GLaDOS.
However, leetspeak should not be confused with 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
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4
|
I3
|
[
|
)
|
3
|
|=
|
6
|
#
|
1
|
,_|
|
>| 7<
|
1
|
/\/\ 11
|
^/
|
0
|
|*
|
(_,)
|
I2 |2 |- 3 |
5
|
7
|
(_)
|
\/
|
\/\/
|
><
|
j `|΄
|
2
|
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)stem. It is realized in two different forms: -xor and -zor, /-sɔːr/ and /-zɔːr/, respectively. For example, the first may be seen in the word hax(x)or (H4x0r in leet) /ˈhæksɔːr/ and the second in pwnzor /ˈoʊnzɔːr/. Additionally, this nominalization may also be 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.[19] 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).[20]
- 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 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, /ˈliːt/, rhyming with eat, by way of
Leet has its own colloquialisms, many of which originated as jokes based on common typing errors, habits of new computer users, or knowledge of
Vocabulary
Many words originally derived from leet have now become part of modern Internet slang, such as "pwned".[1] The original driving forces of new vocabulary in leet were common misspellings and typing errors such as "teh" (generally considered lolspeak), and intentional misspellings,[22] especially the "z" at the end of words ("skillz").[1] Another prominent example of a surviving leet expression is w00t, an exclamation of joy.[2] 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
Terminology and common misspellings
Haxor and suxxor (suxorz)
Haxor, and derivations thereof, is leet for "hacker",[26] 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?] 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) in other words as well.
n00b
Within leet, the term n00b, and derivations thereof, is used extensively. The word means and derives from newbie (as in new and inexperienced or uninformed),[22][25][27] and is used as a means of segregating them as less than the "elite," or even "normal," members of a group.
Owned and pwned
Owned and pwned (generally pronounced "poned"[28] [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.[29][30][31][1][25][32] It is a slang term derived from the verb 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,[25] 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,[33] 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!").[34] In 2015 Scrabble added pwn to their Official Scrabble Words list.[35]
Pr0n
Pr0n is
See also
- Calculator spelling
- 7-segment display
- Geek Code
- Hexspeak
- Jargon File, a glossary and usage dictionary of computer programmer slang
- SMS language
- All your base are belong to us
- Faux Cyrillic and Engrish
- LOLCATand its "lolspeak", a similar phenomenon in 21st century English language
- Padonkaffsky jargon, a similar phenomenon in Russian language
- Martian language, a similar phenomenon in Chinese language
- Yaminjeongeum, a similar phenomenon in Korean language
- Gyaru-moji, a similar phenomenon in Japanese language
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Mitchell.
- ^ a b c d An Explanation of l33t Speak.
- ^ Mello, John P. (February 2, 2015). "Google Expands Bug Bounty Program". E-Commerce Times.
- ^ a b Rome.
- ^ "A guide to leetspeak". IONOS Digitalguide. 17 November 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
- ^ Huh, Ben (March 12, 2014). "10 classic memes that owned the Internet". CNN. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
- ^ Lorenz, Taylor (8 April 2022). "Internet 'algospeak' is changing our language in real time, from 'nip nops' to 'le dollar bean'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "What is 'algospeak'? Inside the newest version of linguistic subterfuge". 13 April 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "'Mascara,' 'Unalive,' 'Corn': What Common Social Media Algospeak Words Actually Mean". Forbes. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "From Camping to Cheese Pizza, 'Algospeak' is Taking over Social Media". Forbes. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- S2CID 258377709. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Nix, Naomi (20 October 2023). "Pro-Palestinian creators use secret spellings, code words to evade social media algorithms". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "How pro-Palestinians are using 'Algospeak' to dodge social media scrutiny and disseminate hateful rhetoric". Fox News. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Sterling, 70.
- ^ Blashki & Nichol, 80.
- ^ "Username and Password Guidelines". help.pearsoncmg.com. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
- ^ Gallagher, Fred; Caston, Rodney. ""MegaTokyo - [9] Speak L33t?"". MegaTokyo. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
- ^ Hussie, Andrew. "==>". Homestuck. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
- ^ Blashki & Nichol, 79.
- ^ LeBlanc, 33.
- ^ Blashki & Nichol, 81.
- ^ a b Blashki & Nichol, 83.
- ^ a b Computer Hope Dictionary.
- ^ LeBlanc, 34-35.
- ^ a b c d Van de Velde & Meuleman.
- ^ LeBlanc, 30; 32.
- ^ a b The Acronym Finder.
- ^ Merriam-Webster: What Does 'Pwn' Mean? And how do you say it?
- ^ Pichlmair, Martin. Pwned – 10 Tales of Appropriation in Video Games (PDF).
- ^ Computer Slang (PDF). December 9, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 9, 2008.
- ISBN 978-0-262-12294-8.
- ^ LeBlanc, 32-33.
- Technology Review. Vol. 111, no. 6. pp. 62–67.
- ISBN 978-0-7407-6875-0.
- ^ Chappell, Bill (21 May 2015). "Go Forth And Pwn For Shizzle, Word List Guardians Tell Scrabble Players". NPR. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
References
- "The Acronym Finder". Mountain Data Systems, LLC. Retrieved 2007-04-11. [inline citation needed]
- "An Explanation of l33t Speak". h2g2. BBC. 2002-08-16. Archived from the original on 2011-09-06. Retrieved 2007-03-29.
- Blashki, Katherine; Nichol, Sophie (2005). "Game Geek's Goss: Linguistic Creativity In Young Males Within An Online University Forum" (PDF). Australian Journal of Emerging Technologies and Society. 3 (2): 77–86.
- "Computer Hope Dictionary - Game definitions". Computer Hope. Retrieved 2007-04-02. [inline citation needed]
- "The Free Dictionary -- Acronyms". The Free Dictionary. Farlex, Inc. Retrieved 2007-04-11. [inline citation needed]
- "Google Directory - Computers". Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-04-29. [inline citation needed]
- Haig, Matt (2001). E-Mail Essentials: How to Make the Most of E-Communications. Kogan Page. p. 89. ]
- LeBlanc, Tracy Rene (May 2005). "Is There A Translator in Teh House?": Cultural and Discourse Analysis of a Virtual Speech Community on an Internet Message Board (MA thesis). Louisiana State University. .
- Mitchell, Anthony (2006-06-12). "A Leet Primer". Technology News. ECT News Network, Inc. Archived from the original on 2020-11-10. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
- Perea, M.; Duñabeitia, J. A.; Carreiras, M. (2008). "R34D1Ng W0Rd5 W1Th Numb3R5" (PDF). Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. 34 (1): 237–241. S2CID 6054151. [inline citation needed]
- Raymond, Eric R.; Steele, Guy L. (1996). The New Hacker's Dictionary. MIT Press. ]
- Rome, James Andrew (2001-12-18). "relax we understand j00". Case Western University, Beta Beta Chapter. Archived from the originalon 2007-02-16. Retrieved 2007-05-03.
- )
- Van de Velde, Kristof; Meuleman, Jeroen (2004). "Lexical tensions in 'internet english' : 1337 as language?". Archived from the original on 2007-04-29. Retrieved 2007-04-13.
- Pearson, Wayne. "The creation of "LOL"". Retrieved 2008-11-06. [inline citation needed]
Further reading
- Katelnikoff, Joel (2013). SCROLL / NETWORK / HACK: A Poetics of ASCII Literature (1983-1989) (PhD dissertation). University of Alberta. .
External links
- "B.Tech/B.Tech (Leet) - CSE (Cloud technology, information security, data science, artificial intelligence, cyber security)". www.osgu.ac.in/programs OM Sterling Global University. Archived from the original on May 22, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.