Gaming
leet
What does leet mean?
The alphabet of letter-to-symbol substitutions, also called 'leetspeak', used to obscure or stylize text.
"He typed the password hint in leet so bots couldn't scrape it."
Origin
Emerged on 1980s BBS networks and 1990s gaming culture as a clipping of 'elite', the label admins and hackers used for trusted insiders. Lexicographers like Jesse Sheidlower and the Oxford English Dictionary later documented 'leet/leetspeak' as internet vernacular.
Frequently asked questions
What does leet mean?
It is short for 'elite' — skilled or top-tier — and also names the numbers-and-symbols writing style called leetspeak.
Where did leet come from?
From 1980s bulletin-board and 1990s gaming communities, where 'elite' marked trusted or highly skilled insiders.
Is leetspeak a real language?
No, it's a playful substitution cipher layered over English, not a language with its own grammar.
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