Why is leetspeak written 1337?

Leet comes from elite, and 1337 spells leet with numbers: 1 for L, 3 for E and 7 for T.

Can I use leetspeak in a username?

Yes. Basic mode only uses letters and numbers, which most games and apps accept. Extreme mode uses symbols that many username fields reject.

What does pwned mean?

Pwned means owned, as in beaten badly. The usual story is that it started as a typo, since P sits right next to O on the keyboard.

Leetspeak Translator: Text to 1337 Speak

About the Leetspeak Translator

Leetspeak, written 1337 or l33t, is an old-school internet alphabet that swaps letters for similar-looking numbers and symbols. It grew out of 1980s bulletin board systems and later took over gaming chats, where pwned and n00b became everyday gamer slang.

Basic mode swaps the classic letters, like A for 4, E for 3 and O for 0, so the text stays easy to read. Extreme mode replaces every letter with symbol combos, like |\/| for M and |2 for R, for maximum hacker energy.

Turn on hacker slang to also swap words, so the becomes teh, owned becomes pwned and dude becomes d00d.

How to use it

Pick Basic or Extreme.
Type your text and switch hacker slang on or off.
Copy your 1337 text for a username, bio or chat.

Example: Basic 1337

Before: You are the elite hacker. Thanks for the win, dude!

After: Y0u 4r3 7h3 3l173 h4ck3r. 7h4nk5 f0r 7h3 w1n, dud3!

Example: Extreme 1337

Before: You are the elite hacker. Thanks for the win, dude!

After: `/0|_| 4|23 7#3 31!73 #4(|<3|2. 7#4|\||<5 |=0|2 7#3 \/\/!|\|, |)|_||)3!

Leetspeak alphabet

A: 4 (basic) or 4
B: 8
C: (
D: |)
E: 3 (basic) or 3
F: |=
G: 6
H: #
I: 1 (basic) or !
J: _|
K: |<
L: 1
M: |\/|
N: |\|
O: 0 (basic) or 0
P: |*
Q: 0_
R: |2
S: 5 (basic) or 5
T: 7 (basic) or 7
U: |_|
V: \/
W: \/\/
X: ><
Y: `/
Z: 2

Classic leetspeak slang

pwned: owned, beaten badly
n00b: a beginner, often a playful insult
teh: the, from a common typo that became a joke
ftw: for the win
l33t or 1337: elite
haxxor: hacker
w00t: a shout of joy

Leetspeak Translator FAQ

Why is leetspeak written 1337?: Leet comes from elite, and 1337 spells leet with numbers: 1 for L, 3 for E and 7 for T.
Can I use leetspeak in a username?: Yes. Basic mode only uses letters and numbers, which most games and apps accept. Extreme mode uses symbols that many username fields reject.
What does pwned mean?: Pwned means owned, as in beaten badly. The usual story is that it started as a typo, since P sits right next to O on the keyboard.