1f y0u c4n r34d 7h15 y0u r34lly n33d 70 637 4 l1f3! (If you can read this you really need to get a life!) Well... Thank you... I guess? If you're like me, chances are you had no problem reading that sentence. I'm sure you'd agree it's a slightly insulting sentence to say the least. But the truth is most people struggle to understand what it's all about, if they're able to understand it at all. That’s why I thought it might be helpful to create this l33t sp34k ch34t sh33t (or leet speak cheat sheet!) that’ll help you cheat your way from n00b to l33t in no time.
Almost a decade before Tim Berners-Lee's World Wide Web saw its first light of day back in 1991, leet speak was born. Back then when the internet was coming up, most search functionalities simply looked for keywords in text to show relevant documents. Hackers weren't very keen on having their information displayed on websites, bulletin boards, newsgroups or any other place, so they started to replace certain letters in words. It started out with simple vowel substitutions like a 4 instead of an A, or a 3 instead of an E. This meant that topics like cracking or hacking remained undetected.
One other (conspiracy) theory is that leet speak was invented as a way to beat automatic government surveillance programs, such as the legendary Echelon program.
In that period leet speak existed only in small circles, and was only used when necessary. It originated within bulletin boards, where someone having an ""elite"" status meant he or she was allowed access to file folders, games and chat rooms. But it wasn't until the addition of internet connectivity to one of the most influential titles in the video games industry, Doom and Doom II that the use of leet speak exploded.
From there on leet speak evolved from a method to mislead search functionalities into a language for online gamers to describe formidable prowess or accomplishment. Phrases such as "1 4m 3l33t!" (I am elite!) were thrown around to demonstrate someone was an experienced gamer (or hacker).
The leet speak alphabet in its simplest form substitutes vowels, but it can be pretty complex when substituting consonants as well. The table below shows several ways every letter of the alphabet can be replaced, starting with the most common substitutions at the top, moving to more fancy ones further down.
It's not only letters that are substituted with numbers, numbers can be substituted by letters too. Although substituting numbers by letters isn't as common as the fore mentioned in leet speak. But for those of you who seek more obfuscation and frustration, the list below will definitely help you with that, and will probably help you get quickly accepted amongst the gaming community.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L | R | E | A | S | b | T | B | g | o |
| I | Z | G | L | q | () |
In addition to substituting letters and numbers, more advanced leet speak uses various suffixes. In most cases this ads more complexity and thus makes sentences and words harder to read and understand. The most common suffixes are z's and ed's, that can simply be added to words like lol (lolz) without changing its meaning. Other more complex suffixes are described below.
| Suffix | Explanation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -zorz | Puts extra emphasis on a word (mostly used to add sarcasm) | To pwn someone, means you defeated him, to pwnzorz someone means you really defeated him |
| -xor/-zor | Derivation of agent nouns from a verb stem. Substitution for -er or -r | The word "hacker" could be transformend into h4ck3r, but by using this suffix, it becomes h4x0r (The o is often replaced by a 0) |
| -age | Derivation of a noun from a verb stem | When you pwn someone, that was total pwnage |
| -ness | Derivation of a noun from an adjective stem | You sir, possess lots of leetness |
| -ed | Replacing the -e of past participle endings with an apostrophe or omiting it completely | The word "pwned" becomes "pwn'd" or might become "pwnd" |
| -& | Words containing -and-, -anned- or - ant- (or similar sounds) are replaced by ampersands (&) | Sandbox becomes &box, banned becomes b& |
Of course any word or sentence can be transformed into leet speak, but there are some words unique to it. Below you'll find all of these words, their meaning and even some sound bites to help you fully master leet speak. Be aware these are a combination of regular words transformed into leet speak, but also various terms used by online gamers.
| Term | Definition | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 0wn, p0wn, pwn, pwned, pwnd, owned, pwning, pwnage, 0w|\|, 0wn3d, 0wn4ge, p0wn4ge | To own someone, or to beat someone's ass in a very humiliating way | Play |
| 13wt, l00t | Loot or treasure, the reward you get when steeling someone else's stuff | Play |
| ai | Artificial Intelligence; Characters that seem human | |
| aiming bot | A piece of software that automatically aims and locks on targets or other players to kill them more easily | |
| boomstick, BFG, big fucking gun | A weapon that inflicts an awesome amount of damage | |
| boss | The "bad guy" that has to be beaten to win the game. Bosses usually occur at the end of games, or at the end of crucial chapters of a game | |
| bot, NPC, monster, mobs | Non-playable character, or a robot, is a character controlled by the computer | Play |
| bug, glitch | An error in computer code that causes unwanted behavior | |
| bunny hop, bunny hopping | Rapidly jumping up and down and moving all over the place so you're a more difficult target to kill | |
| camper | A gamer that stays in the same spot, waiting for other players to walk by and then shooting them | |
| cheater | Someone who doesn't play fair. Often times unskilled players call skilled players (l33ts) cheaters, because they can't stand how good they really are. | |
| ctf | Capture the flag, a game type in which players have to capture each others flags | |
| d00d, d00dz | Dude, as an expression of comradery | Play |
| easter eggs | Usually small hidden features inside a game that don't contribute to the actual gameplay or storyline, but are there mostly for amusement purposes only | |
| em | Them | |
| exp, xp | Experience Points, the level of experience a gamer has in a certain game | |
| f00 | Fool, or an unskillful player | Play |
| flak | Debris from an explosion | |
| fragging, dropping, capping, icing, wasting | Killing another player | Play |
| god mode | This mode renders players invulnerable, so they can't be killed and/or have unlimited ammunition or money | Play |
| h4x0r, haxor, HaXXor, h4XXor | A real hacker or someone with really awesome gaming skills | Play |
| high-ping bastard, HPB | People with a crappy internet connection | |
| instagib | A game mode in which players usually have just one weapon with unlimited ammo | |
| j0 | Yo! Hi! Hello! What's up! | |
| j00 | You | Play |
| kicked | If you cheat in a game and get banned from playing that game, you're kicked from it | |
| l33t, 1337, leet | Elite, skilled player | Play |
| l4m3r, llama, lame | A lamer is person who has very little energy and is always cutting corners | Play |
| level up | Improving your character's ability and skills | |
| lobby | A chat room in a multiplayer game | |
| low-ping bastard, LPB | People with a really fast internet connection | |
| m4d | Mad, mostly used as an adjective like "I h4z g0t m4d sk1llz!". Or even marked for death | |
| MMORPG | Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game | |
| n00b, nwb, noob, tool t00l, newbie, boon, b00n, tool, t00l | An unskilled player or newbie | Play |
| np | No problem | |
| omg, 0mg, 0mfg, OMG, OMGWTFBBQ | Oh My God, or with a bit more emphasis, Oh My Fucking God. Used to describe jawdropping events that weren't anticipated | Play |
| patch | A software update for a game that fixes bugs and glitches | |
| PC | A playable character that is controlled by a real human being | |
| ph33r, ph34r | Fear, as in "Fear me!" | Play |
| Pr0n, n0rp | A deliberate misspelling of the word porn | Play |
| r0x0r, r0x0rz | Rocks, as in, OMG that dude rocks! | |
| sk1llz, sk1ll, sk1ll3d, m4d sk1llz | Skills | |
| spawn, sp4wn, respawn | When you're killed in a game, you're brought back to life so you can participate again | |
| sry, srry, soz, sozz | Sorry | |
| sux0r | Sucks, as in something that isn't entirely rosy | Play |
| taunt | Provoking, usually done when killing an opponent and telling him/her you're more l33t the he/she is | |
| teh, t3h | A popular misspelling for the word "the" | Play |
| telefrag, teleportation frag | Killing someone by teleporting yourself to the exact same location as your opponent. Sometimes it kills both players, in some games though it's a method used by more skilled players to kill others | |
| über, |_|83r | The most awesome | Play |
| w00t | Yay! An expression of great joy and happiness | Play |
| noobcannon, n00bc4nn0n | A weapon that inflicts a lot of damage, but doesn't require much skill to use | |
| gibs, gibbed | Wet bodily fragments, to gib someone is to kill someone and then the corpse explodes | |
| lag | Slow internet connectivity, reducing response times and creating sluggish gameplay | Play |
| clan | A group of gamers that teamed up and fight together | |
| kewl | Cool | Play |
| sploitz | Exploits, vulnerabilities in computer software abused by hackers | |
| spray, spraying | Firing lots of bullets in the hope of killing someone, instead of aiming accurately | |
| ph4t, phat, ph@ | Awesome or cool | Play |
| trolling | Making fun of someone | |
| wallhack | Cheat software that enables players to see and shoot through walls | |
| rank h00r, stat h00r | Someone who cares too much his stats in a way that it affects his normal game play |
Leet speak has come a long way since the '80s and has evolved a bit over time. This is especially true in online gaming, where you'll find a mix of leet speak and abbreviations. This too can be a bit confusing, since there are so many variations. Most of them are undoubtedly used in various chat rooms, instant messengers, Facebook, WhatsApp or any other form of digital communication. That's why some of the obvious ones are omitted to present you with only the more colorful abbreviations.
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| A&D | Attack and Defend |
| AFAIK | As Far As I Know |
| AFK | Away From Keyboard |
| ATM | At The Moment |
| BAF | Bring A Friend |
| BBIM | Be Back In a Minute |
| BBL | Be Back Later |
| BBS | Be Back Soon |
| BRB | Be Right Back |
| BS | Bullshit |
| BTW | By The Way |
| CU | See You |
| DM | Death Match |
| DMG | Damage |
| FAQ | Frequently Asked Questions |
| FB | Flash Bang grenade |
| FFA | Free For All |
| FFS | For Fuck's Sake |
| FH | Full Health |
| G2G, GTG | Got To Go |
| GA | Go Ahead |
| GD | God Damn |
| GF | Good Fight |
| GL | Good Luck |
| GGA | Good Game All |
| HP | Hit Points |
| IIRC | If I Recall Correctly |
| IMO, IMHO | In My Opinion, In My Honest Opinion |
| IRC | Internet Relay Chat |
| IRL, RL | In Real Life, Real Life |
| JJ, JK | Just Joking, Just Kidding |
| KOS | Kill On Sight |
| LFC | Looking For Clan |
| LMAO, LMFAO | Laughing My Ass Off, Laughing My Fucking Ass Off |
| LOL, l0l | Laugh(ing) Out Loud |
| LOS | Line Of Sight |
| Lvl | Level |
| M8 | Mate, teammate |
| Med | Medic |
| Mod | A modification of a game, usually created by gamers instead of the original developers |
| MP | Multiplayer |
| MTFBWY | May The Force Be With You |
| N1 | Nice one |
| NP | No Problem |
| NT | Nice Try |
| O RLY, ORLY | Oh, really? |
| OMG, OMFG | Oh My God, Oh My Fucking God |
| OMW | On My Way |
| OOR, OOS | Out Of Range, Out Of Sight |
| OSOK | One Shot One Kill |
| PITA | Pain In The Arse/Ass |
| PK | Player Killing |
| PMSL | Pissing MySelf Laughing |
| Port | Teleport |
| PPL | People |
| Res, Rez | Resolution |
| ROFL | Roll On the Floor Laughing |
| ROFLMAO | Rolling On the Floor Laughing My Ass Off |
| ROFLOL, r0fl0l | Rolling On the Floor Laughing Out Loud |
| RP | Role Play |
| RT | Roger That |
| Sig | Signature |
| SP | Single Player |
| STFU | Shut The Fuck UP |
| Sup | What's Up |
| TBH | To Be Honest |
| Thx, Thnx, Ty | Thanks, Thank you |
| TTFN | Ta Ta For Now (Goodbye for now) |
| GG, VGG | Good Game, Very Good Game |
| WB | Welcome Back |
| WTF | What The Fuck |
| WTG | Way To Go |
| WYG | What You Got? |
| YW | You're Welcome |
| OFC | Of Course |
| SMH | Shaking My Head |
| NC | No Comment |
| RUSOS | Are You Stupid Or Something |
| w/e | Whatever |
| nd | And |
| YARLY | Yeah, really! |
| RPG | Role Playing Game |
| RTS | Real Time Strategy game, as in it is not turn-based, but all players perform actions simultaneously |
| FPS | First Person Shooter, Frames Per Second |
As you've read above, leet speak is mostly substituting letters to a certain degree. The more you substitute letters, the more obscure it becomes. In addition leet speak, or more specifically a combination of leet and game slang, also has its own words and abbreviations. It's not always clear however, whether a word is meant as a compliment or an insult. That's where the leet matrix comes in, containing various common expressions together with their level of politeness and positivity. Words in the lower left section have a pretty negative meaning and are meant as an insult. However when someone uses a word in the upper right section, you're probably doing a good job.
You've probably noticed by now there's many different ways you can use leet speak. Ranging from basic vowel substitutions to really advanced combinations of various punctuation marks and glyphs. The way I see it, there's four distinct levels.
Basic Leet is nothing more than substituting every vowel for a number. This causes some confusion, but is actually pretty readable and understandable. So an A becomes a 4, an E becomes a 3, an I becomes a 1 and an O becomes a 0 (a zero). The letter U is an exception as there isn't an obvious number to replace it with. So in Basic Leet U's are either unchanged, or you can replace it with (_).
If you've read any of the above carefully, you've probably already surpassed the Basic Leet level. Good for you! In that case the obvious next step is replacing consonants with either numbers or various punctuation marks. So in Intermediate Leet for example the letter B could be replaced by an 8, or by I3. Just like the letter G could be replaced by a 6 or a 9, or the consonant S by a 5.
Advanced Leet is where things get really exciting. Speaking (or actually writing) in advanced leet takes time to master, but guarantees people unfamiliar with leet have a hard time reading it. Advanced Leet is in fact a combination of Basic and Intermediate Leet, but uses punctuation marks for vowels as well. So instead of an A becoming a 4, it could become an @ or /-\.
/=<>Я 4££ üj3ëЯ £33']['-/_ <>|_|'][' '][']-[ëЯë, '][']-[ëЯë'es '][']-[ë /=|_|££ Яë']['4Я) £ëë'][' £ë\/ë£, ![\] \|/]-[!<]-[ ë\/ëЯ'/' \/<>\|/ë£ <>Я <<>[\]es<>[\]4[\]'][' !es Яë|>£4<ë) j3'/' 4£']['ëЯ[\]4']['![\]{, <]-[4Я4<']['ëЯes, |>|_|[\]<']['|_|4']['!<>[\] <\/>4Я|{es 4[\]) {,£'/'|>]-[es. es<> /=<>Я ë}{4<\/>|>£ë '][']-[ë £ë']['']['ëЯ 4 ![\] <>[\]ë \|/<>Я) <<>|_|£) j3ë Яë|>£4<ë) j3'/' 4 4, !'][' <<>|_|£) j3ë Яë|>£4<ë) j3'/' Д <>Я /-\ ![\] 4[\]<>'][']-[ëЯ \|/<>Я).
To put any of the above in perspective, you can use the Leet Speak Translator below to turn any text you'd like into Leet. This translator converts normal words or text into leet speak. You can even select any of the four levels. The Leet Speak Translator makes it easier to actually talk in leet to others, since you only have to copy and paste text. So go on, get your 1337 on, and start converting!
When you start off learning leet speak, it quickly feels like the only way to communicate with fellow gamers. However, using leet speak exclusively in forums, games or other chat rooms is mostly looked down upon. So it's best to just converse in normal English, and occasionally throw in some leet words or abbreviations. This’ll show others you truly are leet and not just some n00b who poses as a l33t.
