Leet Speak

Overview

Pass any text string along with an encode or decode mode parameter. The engine replaces letters with numeric or symbolic equivalents when encoding, or restores standard Latin letters when decoding. Every response returns the converted text string, the applied mode, and the exact count of modified characters.

Live Test Leet Speak API →

Endpoint

One host, one path per API. The block below shows this call in four languages; every one of them is the same HTTP request. Making requests covers the timeouts, retries and parameter rules that apply to all of them. The SDKs wrap the same call in a typed client.

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curl -X POST https://api.apiverve.com/v1/leetspeak \
  -H "x-api-key: your_api_key_here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "text": "This is a simple piece of text",
  "mode": "encode"
}'

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const res = await fetch('https://api.apiverve.com/v1/leetspeak', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'x-api-key': 'your_api_key_here',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
  "text": "This is a simple piece of text",
  "mode": "encode"
}),
});

if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${res.status} ${await res.text()}`);

const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);

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import requests

res = requests.post(
    "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/leetspeak",
    headers={"x-api-key": "your_api_key_here"},
    json={
    "text": "This is a simple piece of text",
    "mode": "encode"
},
    timeout=15,
)
res.raise_for_status()

print(res.json()["data"])

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package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"io"
	"net/http"
	"strings"
)

func main() {
	body := strings.NewReader(`{
  "text": "This is a simple piece of text",
  "mode": "encode"
}`)
	req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/leetspeak", body)
	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
	req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "your_api_key_here")

	res, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
	if err != nil {
		panic(err)
	}
	defer res.Body.Close()

	out, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
	fmt.Println(string(out))
}

Replace your_api_key_here with the key from your dashboard. When the inputs arrive as a list rather than one at a time, batch requests run up to 200 of them through this same API in a single call.

Authentication

Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — there is no token exchange and no per-endpoint scope to configure. Authentication covers creating, rotating and revoking keys.

Parameters

Sent as JSON in the request body. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.

Response

Every API returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape. Response format covers the envelope, the other output formats and how premium fields are withheld.

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{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "text": "7h!5 !5 4 5!mp13 p!3c3 0f 73x7",
    "mode": "encode",
    "changedCharacters": 17
  }
}

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.

Errors

Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change. Error handling covers the full status list and which of them are worth retrying.

Use cases

Content Moderation

Detect banned keywords hidden in community forum posts by decoding obfuscated characters into standard text before running profanity checks.

Username Duplicate Prevention

To catch duplicate registrations trying to bypass unique name rules using number substitutions, identity services normalize gamer handles before saving.

Gaming Chat Filters

In-game chat systems convert incoming player messages back into standard vocabulary to flag abusive behavior across multiplayer lobbies.

Retro Profile Styling

When generating novelty badges or cyberpunk titles, social applications convert usernames and status messages into stylized character strings.

Other ways to use Leet Speak

Set up Leet Speak on APIVerve, or reach the same source a different way. Your APIVerve account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.

Related

More in Text Processing: