# Leet Speak Converter Convert text to and from leet speak (1337). Encode with Basic, Full, or Caps styles, or decode leet back to plain text. > Canonical page: https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/leet-speak-converter - **Category:** Text Processing - **Keywords:** leet speak, leet converter, 1337, l33t, hacker text, leetspeak translator ## Overview Convert text to and from **leet speak (1337)** — the gamer/hacker substitution alphabet that swaps letters for numbers and symbols. **Two actions:** - **Encode** — turn normal text into leet. `hacker` → `h4ck3r`. - **Decode** — turn leet back into normal text. `h4ck3r` → `hacker`. The decoder is tolerant: it reverses every substitution it knows and passes unknown characters through unchanged, so partially-leeted or mixed text still decodes sensibly. **Encode styles:** - **Basic** — the classic, readable substitutions only: `a→4, e→3, i→1, l→!, o→0, s→5, t→7`. Stays legible and is the most widely understood. - **Full** — adds advanced multi-character and symbol substitutions (`b→|3, k→|<, m→/\/\, n→|\|`, etc.). Much denser and harder to read; the authentic "script kiddie" look. - **Caps** — encodes uppercase letters too (`A→4, E→3`), on top of the basic set. Good when your input is ALL CAPS. **Good to know:** - Encoding is **reversible**: text encoded with this tool decodes back to the exact original. Each letter maps to a unique leet symbol, so there's no ambiguity — note that **l uses "!"** (not "1") precisely so it never collides with i→1. - Characters with no leet mapping (digits that aren't part of a substitution, punctuation, emoji) are left untouched in both directions. - The decoder also understands the common third-party convention where l→1, so leet text from elsewhere still decodes sensibly (it just can't always tell l from i in that case). ## Inputs - **Text** (textarea): Type text to leet-ify, or leet text to decode... - **Action** (select) - **Style** (select) ## When to use - When you want to generate stylized usernames, clan tags, or aliases for gaming platforms. - When creating memorable passwords or security hints using character substitutions. - When decoding obfuscated forum posts, hacker culture references, or retro text files. ## How it works - Enter or paste your text into the input area. - Select the action to either encode plain text to leet speak or decode leet speak back to plain text. - Choose your preferred encoding style: Basic for readable substitutions, Full for advanced symbols, or Caps for uppercase letters. - The tool instantly processes the text, mapping characters according to the selected style while leaving punctuation and emojis untouched. ## Use cases - Generating unique and stylized gamer tags or online handles. - Translating retro hacker documents or forum posts written in 1337 speak. - Creating obfuscated text strings for creative writing or design projects. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the difference between Basic and Full encoding? Basic style uses simple, readable substitutions like numbers for vowels, while Full style uses complex multi-character symbols for a denser look. ### Can I decode leet speak that was generated elsewhere? Yes, the decoder is tolerant and reverses common substitutions, including third-party conventions like mapping '1' back to 'l'. ### Does encoding affect punctuation or emojis? No, characters without leet mappings, such as punctuation, spaces, and emojis, remain completely unchanged. ### Why does the Basic encoder use '!' for the letter 'l'? It uses '!' to prevent collisions with the letter 'i' (which maps to '1'), ensuring the encoded text can be accurately reversed. ### Is the conversion process secure? Yes, the conversion is performed entirely in your browser, and your text is not sent to any external servers. ## Related tools - [Extended Text Base Codecs (Base65536 + netstring)](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/extended-text-base-codecs): Encode and decode with less-common text codecs: Base65536 (binary → dense Unicode) and netstring (self-delimiting framing). Base85 is intentionally not rebuilt (already covered). - [Morse Code Translator](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/morse-code-translator): Translate text to and from International Morse Code (ITU-R M.1677) with live audio playback. Auto-detects direction, adjustable WPM speed (PARIS standard) and tone frequency. - [Rail Fence (ZigZag) Cipher](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/zigzag-railfence-text): Encode, decode, visualize, and brute-force the Rail Fence transposition cipher. See the zigzag rail grid and try all rail counts to crack a ciphertext. - [ASCII85 Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/ascii85-converter): Encode and decode text to/from ASCII85 format (Adobe version) - [Base32 Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/base32-converter): Encode and decode text to/from Base32 format with multiple variants - [Base45 Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/base45-converter): Encode and decode text to/from Base45 format (RFC 9285) - [Base58 Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/base58-converter): Encode and decode text to/from Base58 format with Bitcoin and Ripple variants - [Base62 Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/base62-converter): Encode and decode text to/from Base62 format (0-9, A-Z, a-z) ## Samples - [Copyright-Free MP3 Audio Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/mp3-samples): Collection of royalty-free audio samples for testing and development purposes including nature sounds, meditation music, and ambient audio - [Web Image Processing Python Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/web-image-processing-python): Web Python image processing examples using PIL/Pillow including reading, saving, resizing, and format conversion - [Hex/Unicode Encoding Format Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/text-hex-unicode-formats): Examples of hex (\xXX) and unicode (\uXXXX) escape sequence encoding formats - [Android Image Processing Java Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/android-image-processing-java): Android Java image processing examples including reading/saving images, scaling, and format conversion ## Related content - [Text Case, Encoding, and Normalization Conversion Tools](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/text-convert): Compare text case conversion, character-width conversion, encoding conversion, quoted-printable handling, and inline text normalization tools in one hub. - [Text Tools](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/text-utility): Explore 33 text tools for utility workflows and compare closely related utilities quickly. - [Text Analysis, Readability, and Content Inspection Tools](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/text-analyze): Compare text statistics, language detection, readability scoring, sentiment analysis, moderation review, and pattern analysis tools in one hub. - [Text Redaction, Highlighting, and Presentation Formatting Tools](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/text-format): Compare tools for masking sensitive text, finding PII, normalizing phone numbers, highlighting phrases, centering text, and formatting diffs in one hub.