From WhatPort80

The term leet comes from elite, with the i removed and the two instances of e put together in the middle. It is intended to show that someone is better than everyone else. But that isn't ever the result.

Leetspeak (sometimes Leet or L33T or 1337 or |337 or |_££7 or OMG-|_33+ZORZ!!) is a form of written language, invented by skript kiddies, and meant to vaguely resemble the English language, but fails miserably on purpose. The most common feature is the use of numbers to replace certain letters. (3=E, 4=A, 1=L, 5=S…) As an adjective, the term is used to decribe the uber-h4x0rz in their midst with the maddest skillz who have done advanced work in CSIII.

Often the internet-equivalent of hipsters will use leet speak ironically in order to be lulz. Using leet for irony is like trying to turn "would you like some coffee with your sugar?" into an ironic catchphrase. It's just not funny.

Uber-Leet was created when someone thought it a good idea to do unto leet as leet had done unto English. It is an advanced form of the language that defies standardization and can be extremely difficult to understand, due mostly to this non-standardization. Consider the phrase PHr3Ku3N7ly H4s|{3d K0o£St330nZ! It can either translate to "Frequently Asked Questions" or “Crap Nobody Cares About” depending on how you view the Uber-leet language.

Contents 1 Common Letter Substitutions 2 Leet as a spoken language 3 Also 4 Fun 1337 Puzzles!™ 5 External links

Common Letter Substitutions

The following is a table of letters and 1337 Foundation approved leet substitutes. Remember "Anything else, just isn't Leet enough."

A	4 or /\ or @ or /-\ or ^	G	9 or 6 or & or (_+	M	//. or ^^ or |v| or [V] or {V} or |\/| or /\/\ or (u)	S	5 or $ or z or §	Y	Y or '/ or `/ or V/ or \-/ or j or _v also ¥ or %
B	8 or 6 or |3 or |>	H	# or [-] or {=} or <~> or |-| or ]~[ or }{	N	// or ^/ or |\| or /\/ or [\] or ]\[ or <\> or {\}	T	7 or + or -|- or 1	Z	2 or z or ~\_ or ~/_
C	[ or ¢ or < or (	I	1 or ! or | or │	O	0 or () or ¤	U	(_) or |_| or v
D	|) or o| or [)	J	,| or _| or ;	P	|^ or |* or |o or |> or |" or |?	V	\/ or <
E	3 or & or £	K	|< or |{ or ]{ or }<	Q	9 or (,) or <| or ¶ or 0.	W	\/\/ or '// or \^/ or (n) or \V/
F	|= or ph or |#	L	1 or | or |_ or #	R	|2 or 2 or P\ or lz or [z	X	><

• Note: The word "I" will sometimes be replaced with the word "eye" (3y3).

Leet as a spoken language

Not much thought is given to leet as a spoken language, for reasons relating to its origins as as a sort of evolved form of internet cipher. While Leet can be pronounced, it rarely occurs outside the mediums of multiplayer online gaming and IRC. It is not known whether this is because Leet, very uncommonly heard by the human ear outside of individual words which have made their way into the vernacular and slang of our time ("pwned", "roxxed," "haxxor", etc.), produces an unfamiliar and awkward sound for both the speaker and the listener, or whether it is because, for the same reason that abbreviations and ciphers are usually omitted from everyday speech, spoken Leet often takes more time to pronounce and articulate than the original sentence. Or, yet again, perhaps nobody cares.

Also

noun. A portion; a list, esp. a list of candidates for an office. adj. A wannabe hacker; normally refers to one as 1337.

Fun 1337 Puzzles!™

Can you translate these fun, everyday 1337 phrases using everything you learned above!?!

1. @^^ 60!^/6 70 |*\/\/^/ y0(_) !^/70 7#& 6|20(_)^/|), y()|_| |=|_|(|\(!|\|6 1!||1& |\|&\^/8-(|_||\||. (level 9 difficulty)
2. y0(_) [@11 7#@7 @ |3@|2|2&1 |2011? ||-|!$ !$ @ |=|_|(|\(!|\|6 8@|2|2&1 |2()11! (level 8 difficulty)
3.  ! 7u$7 #3@d$#07 y0u, n3w|3, @nd n0w !'m c0|2d!@11y 60!n6 70 73@|3@6 y0u. (level 5 difficulty.)
4. my gr4ndm4 c4n snip3 b3773r 7h4n y0u, y0u 4n41 134k4g3! (level 3 difficulty)
5. fsck j0u f4gg07! 1'm g01ng 70 g0 p14y m0r3 h410, wh3r3 p30p13 kn0w wh0 1 4m, y0u 7w47-5uck1ng 5h17fsck 0f 4 n3wb. (level 2 difficulty)
6. d15r3g4rd 7h47, 1 5uck c0ck5. (level 1)

Too tough? Not 1337 enough? Here are your answers:

1. Over the course of this game, I'm going to proceed to make you what some would consider my personal "bee-otch", you small person who is new to this specific game, and could be compared to some parts of the female reproductive organs.
2. Is that what you would consider a barrel roll, sir or madam? I believe you are mistaken- this is what you might consider a barrel roll.
3. I believe the shot I just annulled you with was one to the head, so in accordance to international first-person shooter rules, I'm going to stand above you and crouch down often, to show regret.
4. I have familial acquaintances that have a better trained ability to shoot a sniper rifle than yours, kind sir.
5. Pardon me, kind sir. I suppose my skills are far better trained than this game's measly offerings, so I'm going to return to the land from whence I came- a land full of eleven year olds. Goodbye!
6. Oh, never mind.

External links

• Lexical tensions in internet English : 1337 as language? (by Kristof van de Velde and Jeroen Meuleman)
• The l33t surfer, a web tool to surf the web the l33t way
• leetspeak translator
• A farcical website which uses l337 Sp3aK in comics involving Alan Greenspan
• Leet Google A version of Google aimed at the 1337 demographic
• An h2g2 Explanation of l33t Speak
• A Basic History of l337 Sp3aK @aquarionics.com
• The Ultra-1337 Translator lets you convert words into basic or advanced 1337-speak and back.
• Generator for L33Tspeak typographical filler text
• External Windows L33T/English Translation Program
• eng2leet English to 1337 5p34k translator
• NHV (New Hacker Version) Bible Transliteration by the Christian Hackers' Association
• The Straight Dope: What the heck is "leetspeak?"