leet numbers

Meanings

1. 1nounpluralcomputinginformal

   Numbers written with digits that look like letters, used in online slang to disguise words.

   Grammar: Always plural; the singular 'leet number' is rare, and the set is usually called 'leet speak' as a whole.

   Patterns

   • write something in leet numbers
   • a word in leet numbers

   In old chat rooms people typed '1337' instead of 'leet' using leet numbers.

   Gamers once used leet numbers so that moderators could not easily spot banned words.

   The password looked like random leet numbers, but it actually spelled a name.

2. 2noununcountablecomputinginformal

   The practice or style of replacing letters with similar-looking digits in online writing.

   Grammar: Used as a mass noun when talking about the style rather than individual digits: 'full of leet numbers'.

   Patterns

   • use leet numbers
   • full of leet numbers

   His username was full of leet numbers, so nobody could read it aloud.

   Some forums ban leet numbers because they make posts hard to search.

Common combinations

write in leet numbers

He wrote his nickname in leet numbers to look like a hacker.

full of leet numbers

The message was full of leet numbers and took me a minute to decode.

leet numbers and symbols

Old passwords often mixed leet numbers and symbols.

spot the leet numbers

Can you spot the leet numbers hidden in that word?

Synonyms and how they differ

leetspeak

The broader name for the whole writing style; 'leet numbers' refers only to the digit substitutions within it.

1337 speak

A written variant of the same idea, used mostly as a joke or in gaming names.

Word family

leet noun

Informal online term for skilled players or the slang style itself.

leetspeak noun

The full writing system that uses leet numbers and other tricks.

Commonly confused: leet numbers or elite?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “leet numbers”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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