L33tsp33k

L33t D00d speaks in his native language.

l33tsp33k or l33tsp34k, pronounced "leet-speak", is a bastardized form of written English. The most distinctive feature of l33tsp33k is the replacement of certain letters with similarly-shaped numbers—"e" is replaced with "3", "a" is replaced with "4", and so on. Other characteristics include replacing "f" with "ph" (and vice versa) and replacing "s" with "z". More advanced variants may involve two-character non-alphanumeric substitutions, such as "><" for "x". Some words are also truncated or intentionally typoed in l33tsp33k.

The word "l33tsp33k" itself is a l33tsp33k portmanteau of "leet", a corruption of "elite", and "speak".

In Megatokyo, L33tsp33k is used lightly by Largo, and used almost all of the time by the character known only as L33t D00d (indeed, even in a situation where his death seems imminent, he is unable to speak standard English). The latter character speaks in such advanced l33t that subtitles are provided when he speaks, although the subtitles differ from the literal translation of the character's dialogue.

In the real world, l33tsp33k is used mainly by so-called "script kiddies", wannabe crackers with little skill. Hackers and more advanced crackers rarely use it. It is also used by gamers; this usage is actually heavily influenced by Largo and Megatokyo. Even in these communities, though, use of l33tsp33k may denote immaturity. However, several l33t words have become popular outside of l33t-sp33king communities. Words in this category include "pwn", "teh", "w00t", and "pr0n".

Also refer to L33T in Megatokyo for L33T translations and information regarding L33T in Megatokyo.