leetspeak

American  

[leet-speek] / ˈlitˌspik /

noun

Digital Technology.

1. a coded spelling system and language used in very informal communications on the internet, featuring letters combined with numbers or special characters in place of letters that they may resemble, and including inventive misspellings, jargon, and slang.

2. the spelling conventions and jargon of this system and language.

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leetspeak British  

/ ˈliːtˌspiːk /

noun

1. Also called: 1337.  a jargon used by some internet groups, in which standard English is translated into a mixture of letters, numerals, and symbols found on a computer keyboard

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Etymology

Origin of leetspeak

First recorded in 1980–85; leet (shortening and alteration of elite ) + -speak

Example Sentences

If pidgin languages create a simplified slang to foster cross-cultural communication, leetspeak deliberately complicates the root language, replacing letters with numbers and symbols and swapping characters.

From New York Times • Mar. 28, 2017