Leetspeak: What does that mean?

Even if you do not know what Leetspeak is or what it means, you have probably already encountered the phenomenon - and were surprised. In this practical tip, we will explain what the term is about, where it comes from and how you deal with leetspeak.

What does leetspeak mean and where does it come from?

• The basic idea of ​​the Leetspeak is to replace individual letters or whole words with numbers or even special characters. For example, "night" is composed of "n8" - "n" and "eight". Or only individual letters are exchanged for other signs that are visually similar to the letter: "Gamer" thus becomes "G4m3r".
• Gaming or the Internet in general is also the origin for Leetspeak. A kind of secret code developed in corresponding groups of the computer scene in order to exclude outsiders or less experienced gamers and not to allow them to participate in conversations. Today, however, Leetspeak is rarely used for this purpose, but rather as self-irony or for the special customization of user names.
• The word "Leet" is itself derived from the English "elite" via "Eleet"> "Leet". It is often written as "1337" and thus in Leetspeak.

What characters are used in Leetspeak?

Of course, so many, sometimes very individual characters and spellings have developed in the gaming scene that they can hardly be listed in a bundle. Here is a small selection of the most common leets:

• "A" becomes "4".
• The "E" appears to be rotated to give a "3".
• The "H" expressed in special characters: "| - |"
• A similar procedure can be used with the "N": "| \ |"
• "S" becomes "5" or "$".
• "4U" stands for "for you".
• "Thank you" or "Thanks" is written briefly: "thx"