Every world generation has its own dialect, and the computer generation is no different. Online gamers and chatroom visitors alike have developed a sort of shorthand code to get the point across quickly.
Some call it “geek speak” and some call it “leetspeak”. But, unless you understand it, it’s probably all geek to you.
Let’s go for a quick rundown on the most commonly used leetspeak techniques so you know what your kids mean when they tell you about the “ub3r geam” they want for Christmas.
Why l33t speak?
The term leet comes from the word elite, which, according to one probable explanation, referred to a hierarchy among early BBS users (bulletin board system users, much like today’s forums). Elite users had special board privileges, such as access to pirated software or hidden discussion areas.
Leetspeak disguises words so they aren’t easily read by non-elite users, or n00bs (newbies). Here are a few techniques you can use to decode leetspeak:
» Substituting numbers for letters; for example, hacker becomes h4cker or hack0r and leet becomes l33t.
» Using common misspellings on purpose; for example, the game become teh geam.
» Substituting sound-alike letters or dropping silent letters; for instance, very cool hacks translates to vry kewl h4xx.
» Using additional terms and add-ons to create emphasis; for example, an impressive hacker can become uber h4xx0rz.
» Using other characters to represent letters; for instance, N is treated as ||.
Elite users rely on Leetspeak to be more obscure.
Some call it “geek speak” and some call it “leetspeak”. But, unless you understand it, it’s probably all geek to you.
Let’s go for a quick rundown on the most commonly used leetspeak techniques so you know what your kids mean when they tell you about the “ub3r geam” they want for Christmas.
Why l33t speak?
The term leet comes from the word elite, which, according to one probable explanation, referred to a hierarchy among early BBS users (bulletin board system users, much like today’s forums). Elite users had special board privileges, such as access to pirated software or hidden discussion areas.
Leetspeak disguises words so they aren’t easily read by non-elite users, or n00bs (newbies). Here are a few techniques you can use to decode leetspeak:
» Substituting numbers for letters; for example, hacker becomes h4cker or hack0r and leet becomes l33t.
» Using common misspellings on purpose; for example, the game become teh geam.
» Substituting sound-alike letters or dropping silent letters; for instance, very cool hacks translates to vry kewl h4xx.
» Using additional terms and add-ons to create emphasis; for example, an impressive hacker can become uber h4xx0rz.
» Using other characters to represent letters; for instance, N is treated as ||.
Elite users rely on Leetspeak to be more obscure.
