# What Is The Origin of L33t Speak? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 30, 2002, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-l33t-speak/130219 "2002-09-30T01:00:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-l33t-speak/130219/1 "2002-09-30T01:00:23Z")
I believe its origins can be traced back to [this](http://info.astrian.net/jargon/terms/b/B1FF.html) ---
**Author:** ![firagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/13edae/32.png) [@firagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/firagon)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-l33t-speak/130219/2 "2002-09-30T06:26:20Z")
I always had the impression that it had something to do with hackers needing to disguise filenames or something. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-l33t-speak/130219/3 "2002-09-30T07:44:31Z")
I always thought that B1FF was meant to be a parody of the early L33T types (before it was called L33T). ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-l33t-speak/130219/4 "2002-09-30T08:10:21Z")
I blame online chat rooms. In an environment where everybody’s words looked identical - there is no “voice” in cyberspace - people looked for new ways to make their words stand out. So, one day, some genius realized, “Hey, I can type out ‘N E 1’ instead of ‘anyone’, and it’ll sound the same, but it’ll make me stand out!” And it all went downhill from there. Of course, now that I think about it, 1337 can probably be traced back to personalized license plates. The first leetspeak was probably “NRA4EVR” or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-l33t-speak/130219/5 "2002-09-30T08:24:15Z")
I heard that it had something to do with the paranoids, originally. Hackers and the like who were afraid of some huge government filter that would be set off by certain words or phrases. So they would intersperse numbers with letters to try and ‘throw off’ the monitor so it wouldn’t get alerted. But I have no cite, or personal account–so it’s most likely just some kinda quasi-UL. ---
**Author:** ![Siege](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Siege](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siege)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-l33t-speak/130219/6 "2002-09-30T09:35:17Z")
This is just something I’ve been wondering about for a while. What exactly is l33t speak – things like “sux0rs”, “How r u?”, etc. and how did it originate? Also, can someone please recommend or provide a l33t-English dictionary, starting with the meaning of l33t? I promise not to start using it here. 😉 Thanks, CJ ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-l33t-speak/130219/7 "2002-09-30T11:36:54Z")
1 h4t3 70u sux0rs! 133t 4 3v3r! Ph33r m4h 133t sk!11z! Sorry… couldn’t resist. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Harvey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@Max\_Harvey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Harvey)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-l33t-speak/130219/8 "2002-09-30T11:52:54Z")
Don’t know about the origin, but it’s at least ten years old. I remember it starting as a parody on Usenet (especially alt.religion.kibology and alt.slack) called “B1FF speak”, Biff being a teenager who erroneously believed he was among the “l33t” of computer users. “h4y d00d!!! y00 g0t s0m3 w4r3z 4 th3 v1c-20?!?” (“Excuse me, friend. Do you have any illegal copies of software for the Commodore VIC-20?”) ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-l33t-speak/130219/9 "2002-09-30T12:18:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cjhoworth \* > **Also, can someone please recommend or provide a l33t-English dictionary, starting with the meaning of l33t? I promise not to start using it here. 😉** I don’t know its origin, but it literally means “elite”. There is an English-H4x0r translator [here](http://www.degraeve.com/scripts/haxor/haxor.cgi), and [this](http://www.degraeve.com/translator.shtml) will convert entire webpages into “simple hax0r” or “Ultra Leet”. Google [speaks H4x0r](http://www.google.com/intl/xx-hacker/) too. ---
**Author:** ![Siege](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Siege](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siege)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-l33t-speak/130219/10 "2002-09-30T12:28:09Z")
An even bigger question-- what are they feeding the hamsters?! I started this thread last night, but the Board froze, so I gave up on it. This morning, I checked this forum and didn’t see it, so I re-posted. Somehow, it didn’t appear until after I re-posted, but responses which people gave me last night are on file and under “Thread Started By”, there’s the handle of the first responder. Any guesses? A very baffled CJ ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-l33t-speak/130219/11 "2002-09-30T14:43:42Z")
The practice of replacing letters with numbers probably originates in attempts to make passwords more secure. How exactly it got out of there is a mystery, though. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-l33t-speak/130219/12 "2002-09-30T18:34:04Z")
Ladies and gentlemen, I refer you to the [B1FF section](http://www.ctrl-c.liu.se/~ingvar/legends/bad.html#b1ff) of the [net.legends FAQ](http://www.ctrl-c.liu.se/~ingvar/legends/), this ancient and unwhollyupdated article tells tales of the early days of the interent. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-l33t-speak/130219/13 "2002-09-30T20:09:44Z")
Some of the less goofy (IMHO) abbreviations (like “UR” for “your”) can be traced to Morse Code/Amateur Radio. “SUX” for “sucks” goes back at least as far as Wizardry 1 (Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord), probably further. Brian ---
**Author:** ![robertliguori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@robertliguori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robertliguori)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-l33t-speak/130219/14 "2002-10-01T00:32:17Z")
Does anyone know the etymology of the -0rs, as in sux0rs? ---
**Author:** ![FyreFiend](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/919ad9/32.png) [@FyreFiend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FyreFiend)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-l33t-speak/130219/15 "2002-10-01T06:57:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by smiling bandit \* > \*\*1 h4t3 70u sux0rs! > > 133t 4 3v3r! > > Ph33r m4h 133t sk!11z! > > Sorry… couldn’t resist. \*\* Should I be worried about the fact I understood that? I blame slashdot.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-l33t-speak/130219/16 "2002-10-01T07:48:38Z")
> [@](#): > > I heard that it had something to do with the paranoids, originally. > > Hackers and the like who were afraid of some huge government filter that would be set off by certain words or phrases. Wouldn’t work. At the time, anyone with the expertise to set up such a filter would also have the expertise to set it up to read elite-speak (I refuse to type such abominations as the usual form of that word). Furthermore, any hacker is, by definition, smart enough to _know_ that such modifications would be pointless. Now, it’s conceivable that some loser wannabe thought that it would help protect him from “The Man”, but it’s certainly not hacker behaviour. A note for future reference, by the way: Please do not refer to crackers, script kiddies, wares dudes, and their ilk as “hackers”. “Hacker” is a compliment, and one which most such individuals do not deserve. ---
**Author:** ![Skippman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Skippman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skippman)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-l33t-speak/130219/17 "2002-10-01T14:07:37Z")
I used to know a few people in the scene back in '92. One of the guys was running the largest “warez” board in St. Louis. Of course back then we called it NPD. (Non-Public Domanin) But that’s besides the point. That’s when I first saw the beginning of 733t speak. They used to do some interesting things with ANSII but [Fido.NET](http://Fido.NET) wouldn’t always do the transfers correctly between WWIV and Spitfire BBS’s so people were switching to 733t. It was a way to stand out and appear to have been on the scene for a long time. You might want to check out the 2600 archives. I’m not going to link to it here, the board might get angry. 2600 is a magazine put out every so often that, back in the day, would expound on cracking, hacking, and phreaking. Just for everyones refrence: **Hacker:** One who invades software systems out of curiosity. Derived from the same term used in the '70’s to describe people who would trespass and explore buildings out of curiosity. **Cracker:** One who maliciously infultrates software systems with the intent of garnering profit, destroying data, or gaining fame. **Script Kiddie:** A recent development on the scene. Given birth by the disimination of information on the internet and the interconnectivity of networks, Script Kiddies use remote system to disrupt network traffic. This is usually done via a DOS (Denial of Service, not Disk Operating System) attack. The most famous of which are the DOS attack on Gibson Research and the RIAA website. Script Kiddies usually possess little to no actual skill, but have access to programs written by true Crackers. These are the wannabe’s of the net. **Traderz/App Whorez:** These people are the couriers of “WaReZ” (Pronounced Wares as in “Show me your wares”, not War Ez). They set up FTP to FTP relays and transfer “Zero Day” and “ISO” files. ISO Images are exact bit for bit copies of CD’s. “Zero Day” apps are application rips. Usually they’re stripped down to what is nessicary to run the program. In the case of games, soundtracks and FMV (Full Motion Video) are usually removed. This is done to save transfer time and storage space. **I’m not involved in the scene anymore!** Lest you think that my information comes from anything but experience. After my friend was busted by the NSA/FBI back in '95 I’ve been out of the scene. I keep tabs on what is going on since I do work for an ISP and secruity is my business. ---
**Author:** ![wu\_wei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/6a8cbe/32.png) [@wu\_wei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wu_wei)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-l33t-speak/130219/18 "2002-10-01T20:54:29Z")
I can’t believe this thread has gotten this long without anyone having posted a link to [the Jargon File](http://tuxedo.org/~esr/jargon/html/). This should address any and all questions not only as to what hacker jargon is, but both how and why it came to be. ---
**Author:** ![wu\_wei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/6a8cbe/32.png) [@wu\_wei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wu_wei)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-l33t-speak/130219/19 "2002-10-01T21:02:17Z")
The page of the Jargon File dealing specifically with leet-speak can be found [here](http://tuxedo.org/~esr/jargon/html/Leet-speak.html). ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-l33t-speak/130219/20 "2002-10-01T23:50:07Z")
The very first link, posted by me, was a link to the Jargon File/Dictionary. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-l33t-speak/130219.md?page=2)