Translate to Leet Speak

The Translate to Leet Speak tool - what is it?

Leet speak (also known as “1337” or “eleet”) is a way of typing on the internet where you replace letters with numbers or symbols that look similar. For example, you might write “1337” instead of “leet”. It started in the 1980s on bulletin board systems (BBS), where people who were really good at using computers would use leet speak to show off their skills.

Some people think that leet speak was invented to get around rules on BBS or chat rooms. People would use leet speak to talk about things that weren’t allowed, like hacking or sharing files. It was also a way to show that you were part of the “in” crowd and knew what you were doing.

Nowadays, leet speak isn’t just for hackers and computer experts. Lots of people use it to have fun or to make fun of newbies (people who are new to something). Some people even use emoticons (like smiley faces) as part of leet speak.

So if you see someone typing in a weird way with lots of numbers and symbols, they might be using leet speak!