Interpreting Online Words
Interpreting Online Words, Slang, & Symbols
The following words, codes, special symbols, numbers & additional resources may be useful to someone in your home and are fairly basic throughout the Internet & Chat Room /SMS/ Instant Messaging / Text Messaging environments.
Phonetic spellings
In Internet language, a single word can be “spelled” in many different ways.
For example, “phonetic” could be |>|-|0n371><, p|-|0|\|3+1|<, |>h0|\|371<, ph0n371k.
Words that could indicate possible illegal activities:
- “warez” or “w4r3z“: Illegally copied software available for download.
- “h4x“: Read as “hacks,” or what a malicious computer hacker does.
- “pr0n“: An anagram of “porn,” pornography is often referred to as pr0n which is misspelled p0rn — porn written with zero
- “sploitz” (short for exploits): Vulnerabilities in computer software used by hackers.
- “pwn“: A typo-deliberate version of own, a slang term often used to express superiority over others that can be used maliciously, depending on the situation. This could also be spelled “0\/\/n3d” or “pwn3d,” among other variations. Online video game bullies or “griefers” often use this term.
Additional word substitutions:
- “roxx0rs” Used in place of “rocks,” typically to describe something impressive.
- “d00d“: Replaces the greeting or addressing someone as a “dude.”
- “joo” and “u“: Used instead of “you.” This is also commonly written as “j00″ or “_|00.”
- “ph“: often replaces “f,” as in “phear” for “fear” (as in “ph34r my l33t skillz”) and vice versa, such as spelling “phonetic” as “f0|\|371(.”
Commonly encoded spellings & word replacements:
- “d00d” for “dude”
- “joo” for “you”, also written as “j00″ or “_|00″
- “ph” for “f”, as in “phear” for “fear” or such as spelling “phonetic” as “f0|\|371(“
- “kewl” or kwel or ku or ql for cool
- “r” for are, m for am, y for why, d for “the”, b for be, c for see, u for you (giving the common see you: c u)
- “2” for to or too, 4 for for (but note “4″ can also represent an “A”)
- “8” for -ate, as l8r for later
- “ne” for any
- “u 1 2” for “you want to” (“icq”=”i seek you” style)
- “nite” for night
- “10x” for thanks
- “WHeRE @Re J00” or “Wh3re aer j00?” for “where are you”
- “wH4+’S j00R nAME” for “what is your name”
Numbers & Meanings ~ Used as Online Slang in Email, Chat rooms, & IMs.
- 10-4 – “OK, Acknowledgement”, as in the CB Radio 10-codes
- 12B, 1AB – “Wannabe”
- 10q – “Thank you”
- 10x – “Thanks”
- 1337 – “Leet”, short for élite, often used ironically.
- 143 – “I love you”
- 20 – “location”; from CB Radio jargon
- 224 – “today, tomorrow, forever”
- 2B – “to be”
- 2B||!2B – “to be or not to be”
- 2m – “tomorrow”
- 2TM – “to the max”
- 31337 – “elite”, often used ironically
- 4 – “for”
- 404 – “Couldn’t find it”, “Clueless”
- 4649 – “pleased to meet you”, “hi”
- 46 – “pleased to meet you” “hi”
- 4ever, 4eva – “forever”
- 5/5 – “five by five”
- 54 – “To ignore”
- 69 – from the sex position. Often appears as part of AIM screennames
- 666 – The triple sixes sequence often represents Satan, on and off of the Internet; often occurs in screennames
- 8O~ – Crazy, lost, drooling with desire
- 8008135 – female torso protuberances (the “G” rating-thing)
- 807, 8075 – “BOT(s)“; extreme lack of knowledge or common sense
- 833r (or b33r,) – beer or other alcoholic beverages
- 88, 881 or 886 “bye bye” – In some racist chat rooms it means “heil Hitler”, because the letter “H” comes eighth in most Roman alphabets
- 9494 – “That’s it”, “that’s right”, “you see?”
