R3pl@c1ng L3773r5
Recently I received the following message. Try to read it.
7H15 M3554G3 53RV35 70 PR0V3 H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N D0 4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5! 1MPR3551V3 7H1NG5! 1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG 17 W45 H4RD BU7 N0W, 0N 7H15 L1N3 Y0UR M1ND 15 R34D1NG 17 4U70M471C4LLY W17H0U7 3V3N 7H1NK1NG 4B0U7 17, B3 PR0UD! 0NLY C3R741N P30PL3 C4N R34D 7H15! PL3453 F0RW4RD 1F U C4N R34D 7H15
That’s fun. I decided not to forward it but to start playing with the rep1@(emen7 0f 1e77er$.
I took the opening sentences of 3 of my favorite books and got the following results.
Replacing 6 capitalized letters as in the original message
Replacing ‘A E I O S T’ with ‘4 3 1 0 5 7’
17 15 4 7RU7H UN1V3R54LLY 4CKN0WL3DG3D, 7H47 4 51NGL3 M4N 1N P05535510N 0F 4 G00D F0R7UN3, MU57 B3 1N W4N7 0F 4 W1F3.
MR. 4ND MR5. DUR5L3Y, 0F NUMB3R F0UR, PR1V37 DR1V3, W3R3 PR0UD 70 54Y 7H47 7H3Y W3R3 P3RF3C7LY N0RM4L, 7H4NK Y0U V3RY MUCH. 7H3Y W3R3 7H3 L457 P30PL3 Y0U’D 3XP3C7 70 B3 1NV0LV3D 1N 4NY7H1NG 57R4NG3 0R MY573R10U5, B3C4U53 7H3Y JU57 D1DN’7 H0LD W17H 5UCH N0N53N53.
1N 4 H0L3 1N 7H3 GR0UND 7H3R3 L1V3D 4 H0BB17. N07 4 N457Y, D1R7Y, W37 H0L3, F1LL3D W17H 7H3 3ND5 0F W0RM5 4ND 4N 00ZY 5M3LL, N0R Y37 4 DRY, B4R3, 54NDY H0L3 W17H N07H1NG 1N 17 70 517 D0WN 0N 0R 70 347: 17 W45 4 H0BB17-H0L3, 4ND 7H47 M34N5 C0MF0R7.
An extended version with some more replacements of uppercase letters
Replacing ‘A B C E I L O S T Z’ with ‘4 8 ( 3 ! 1 0 5 7 2’
!7 !5 4 7RU7H UN!V3R5411Y 4(KN0W13DG3D, 7H47 4 5!NG13 M4N !N P055355!0N 0F 4 G00D F0R7UN3, MU57 83 !N W4N7 0F 4 W!F3.
MR. 4ND MR5. DUR513Y, 0F NUM83R F0UR, PR!V37 DR!V3, W3R3 PR0UD 70 54Y 7H47 7H3Y W3R3 P3RF3(71Y N0RM41, 7H4NK Y0U V3RY MU(H. 7H3Y W3R3 7H3 1457 P30P13 Y0U’D 3XP3(7 70 83 !NV01V3D !N 4NY7H!NG 57R4NG3 0R MY573R!0U5, 83(4U53 7H3Y JU57 D!DN’7 H01D W!7H 5U(H N0N53N53.
!N 4 H013 !N 7H3 GR0UND 7H3R3 1!V3D 4 H088!7. N07 4 N457Y, D!R7Y, W37 H013, F!113D W!7H 7H3 3ND5 0F W0RM5 4ND 4N 002Y 5M311, N0R Y37 4 DRY, 84R3, 54NDY H013 W!7H N07H!NG !N !7 70 5!7 D0WN 0N 0R 70 347: !7 W45 4 H088!7-H013, 4ND 7H47 M34N5 (0MF0R7.
A version with replacement of lowercase letters
Replacing ‘a b c g i l o s x z’ with ‘@ 6 ( 9 ! 1 0 $ % 2’
It !$ @ truth un!ver$@11y @(kn0w1ed9ed, th@t @ $!n91e m@n !n p0$$e$$!0n 0f @ 900d f0rtune, mu$t 6e !n w@nt 0f @ w!fe.
Mr. @nd Mr$. Dur$1ey, 0f num6er f0ur, Pr!vet Dr!ve, were pr0ud t0 $@y th@t they were perfe(t1y n0rm@1, th@nk y0u very mu(h. They were the 1@$t pe0p1e y0u’d e%pe(t t0 6e !nv01ved !n @nyth!n9 $tr@n9e 0r my$ter!0u$, 6e(@u$e they ju$t d!dn’t h01d w!th $u(h n0n$en$e.
In @ h01e !n the 9r0und there 1!ved @ h066!t. N0t @ n@$ty, d!rty, wet h01e, f!11ed w!th the end$ 0f w0rm$ @nd @n 002y $me11, n0r yet @ dry, 6@re, $@ndy h01e w!th n0th!n9 !n !t t0 $!t d0wn 0n 0r t0 e@t: !t w@$ @ h066!t-h01e, @nd th@t me@n$ (0mf0rt.
The original texts
For nutcases and nincompoops.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
Jane Austen – Pride and Prejudice
Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you’d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense.
J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.
J.R.R. Tolkien – The Hobbit
What’s next?
I then decided to make a web page where you can enter your own text to replace letters with numbers or other stuff. This page (Letter Replacer) gives you some flexibility in the letters you want to replace and some other options to play with. Have fun.