How to Talk Computer Slang
- 1). Shorten common phrases by using an acronym. Rather than typing out frequently used phrases, type only the first letter of each word in the phrase. For example, "I don't know" condenses to "idk." The phrase "for what it's worth", becomes "FWIW" and "aaaaa" stands in for "American Association Against Acronym Abuse."
- 2). Replace letters with numbers or symbols that resemble them. Leetspeak is a common slang that originated in chat rooms and bulletin boards for the purpose of avoiding an edit by the website moderator. Questionable content could escape notice if spelled in Leetspeak. Some Leetspeak substitutions include the number 1 for the letter L, the number 3 for the letter e, and the $ symbol or the number 5 for the letter s. So, in cyberspace, the word "leetspeak" can be spelled "133t5p33k."
- 3). Use a single letter or number replacement for synonyms. Several words sound like letters and numbers, and where available, make that substitution. For example, use U for "you," 4 in place of "for" and B to shorten the word "be. "
- 4). Make phonetic substitutions. Several sounds in the English language can be made with alternate spellings, and more often than not cyberspeakers prefer the misspelled version. For example, replace the ph in the word "pharmacy" with an f to spell "farmacy." Alternatively, replace the f with a ph and the y with an ie in the word "funny" to spell the slang word "phunnie." Also, replace a "cks" sound with an x, as in the word "thanx."
- 5). Leave typos uncorrected, and ignore everything you've learned about proper grammar and usage. Several misspelled words have become so common that they've been adopted as the proper slang spelling of the word. For example, the word "the" is spelled "teh" and the word "owned" is now "pwned." All with a dash of irony, of course. And, If the mood strikes, CaPiTaLiZe your CoNSoNaNTS. On the net, conventional English grammar ╪ necessary.
- 6). Drop vowels entirely. If you can leave out the vowels in a word and the word is still remotely recognizable, feel free. There's no need for the a in "that," so just type "tht." Thnx.
- 7). Utilize your cyber slang skillz in meatspace (real life). Professor and linguist David Chrystal has observed that many common computer slang terms are being used in face-to-face conversations among young people. Such is the case with the acronym "ROFL," which means "Rolling on floor, laughing." Pronounced "rawfl," it is most often uttered in response to a sad attempt at humor.
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