Okay, 1337 is a good subject to talk about. The first thing I would like to clear up is that chatspeak and 1337 are NOT the same thing. Some lazy morons merge 1337 and chatspeak together, soon creating the popular belief that 1337 and chatspeak are the same thing.

Okay, so what /is/ 1337 in the first place? 1337 means Elite. The point of 1337 is to replace all the letters with symbols, and is quite fun to play with. 1337 was first created by some people would wanted to talk in a forum without any outsiders barging in. Some outsiders may have figured out the language and started using it as well. Eventually, 1337 became famous all over the internet. The original use of 1337 is hardly practiced any more, but it survives because many of peope use it for fun.

It takes a long time to translate between regular English and 1337 even if you know all 26 1337 secrets, unless you're very skilled at it.

Here are the 26 1337 secrets.
A = 4
B = |3
C = (
D = |)
E = 3
F = |=
G = 6
H = |-|
I = |
J = 9
K = |<
L = 1
M = |v|
N = |/| (It is backwards because the frontslash under the backspace key is famous for not showing up on many websites.)
O = 0 (zero)
P = |*
Q = 0,
R = |2
S = 5
T = 7
U = |_|
V = |/
W = |/|/
X = >< (Is normal in words like |-|4x0|2)
Y = `/
Z = 2

S0m3 p30ple 4r3 700 l4zy 70 wri73 7hin65 in fu11 1337, r3su17ing in a 53n73nc3 1ik3 7hi5.
If you wrote this sentence in 1337 speak, it would look like this:
||= `/0|_| |/|/|2073 7|5 53|/|73|/|(3 ||/| 1337, |7 |/|/0|_|1|) 100|< 1||<3 7|-||5.
by Courage the cowardly dog April 7, 2006
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1337 speak origins from leet which origins from elite. Leet was just short for elite at that time. People consider being "l33t" is an internet way of being "cool". Like the first example below.

The origin of leet speak is as follows:

leet comes from:
Elite » leet » 1337

Words like "plz" come from:
Please » pleas » ples » pls » plz

Well I got to go » Got to go » gotta
go » got 2 go » gtg » g2g

What's up? » Wasup? » Sup?

I'm laughing out loud! » I'm loling! » lol

I'll be right back » I'll b right back » I'll b rite bac » brb

I own you, I win » You are owned. » (Historic typo word) You got pwned » Total pwnage » Pwned.

So on and so forth. Some of these "leet" internet words come from slang talk just like the example "wasup?". Most people also like to change letter around like "newbie » n00b" same with using numbers instead of letters. Which makes l33t. Some of them also come from the pronounciation of words. Like below:

Are » R
You » U
Cause » cuz

And so on. What makes leet speak so unique is how it has evolved over the years and how it is used in games.
"R U l33t enuff?"

Online game example: "Lets c whu cn m@ke teh most complic@ted l33t spek ev@rr!"

Lets see who can make the most complicated leet speak ever!

"ill brb i g2 put da dawg out 4 a min"
I'll be right back. I have to put the dog out for a minute.

"du u kno wen tha sho strts?"
Do you know when the show starts?
by -Maynard- August 7, 2005
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1337 Speak has its roots much earlier than days of the internet. Telegraph operators used many of the common 1337 words seen today when sending messages in morse code. It made messages much shorter and faster to send via telegrapy. Some common words used by telegraphers that crept into 1337 speak: you: u; are: r; are you: ru; yours: urs; See you again; cuagn; before b4; See you later: cul; good morning: gm; good evening: ge; back to you: btu; weather: wx; old man: om; young lady: yl; wife: xyl; hear: hr; good: gud; pause: bt; from: fm; today: 2day; and: es; Farenheit: f; temperature: temp; degrees: deg
Typical morse code transmission by a ham radio operator using what is now condidered 1337 speak:
hi om bt gud to hr fm u 2day bt wx hr warm es sunny bt temp hr 46 deg f bt so btu john
by Jim Pope January 15, 2007
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An internet language commonly used in online games. Goal is to replace as much letters with numbers and symbols as possible. 1337 being short for "elite"
y0u 607 pw3ned 1 4m ub3r 1337 t3h r0x0z!
by primeD August 6, 2004
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The menial and unflattering, although sometimes fun, language of numbers and letters that began on internet games and forums, and has now somehow made its way into real life. "1337" is pronounced "leet", short for "elite."
omgomgomg j00 r teh sux0rz! i +0+411y pwnz j00!
by Lady Pain March 5, 2005
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the stupidest speak ever invented.....only nerds talk like that.
i am a loser cuz i speak 1337 speak.
standard english version: i am a loser because i talk in the 1337 speak.
by funky boogers June 27, 2006
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talking in a way that places numbers in the place of certian letters
1 = l or i
2 = R
3 = b
4 = A
5 = S
6 = G
7 = T
0 = O
"h0ly sh1t 1 ju5t pwn3d that n00b!"
by sylen.emu June 6, 2003
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