Pwn

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Pwn (/poʊn/, /puːn/, /pəʔˈoʊn/, /pɔːn/, /piˈoʊn/, /pwəʔˈn̩/) is a leetspeak slang term, derived from the word "own",^[1][2][3] that implies domination or humiliation of a rival, used primarily in the Internet gaming culture to taunt an opponent who has just been soundly defeated. Past tense is sometimes spelled pwnt (pronounced with a t sound), pwned, pwnd, pwn3d, or powned (with the standard d sound). Examples include "pwnage" or "you just got pwned".

In Internet security jargon, to "pwn" means "to compromise" or "to control", specifically another computer (server or PC), web site, gateway device, or application; it is synonymous with one of the definitions of hacking or cracking. An outside party who has "owned" or "pwned" a system has obtained unauthorized administrative control of the system.

Contents 1 Etymology 2 Pronunciation 3 Use, online and in popular culture 4 References 5 See also

Etymology

The word "pwn" may have arisen and spread as a common typo of the word "own," since the 'p' and 'o' keys are adjacent on a standard English keyboard.^[4][5]

Pronunciation

Given the recent development of the word and its primary use in written form only, there is no single accepted pronunciation of pwn. However, "own", "pawn", "poon" (compare cwm) and "pone" are frequently used, and "pwen" is also considered an acceptable pronunciation although "pone" is the most common pronunciation.^[6]

According to the staff at the popular company Pure Pwnage (a company that creates popular online videos like FPS Doug), the word "pwnage" or "pwn" is pronounced like the word's predecessor "own." The reason for this is because it is simply a typo and really has no origin other than in online text.

Use, online and in popular culture

Some popular quotes involving "pwn" include:

• The 2006 South Park episode, Make Love, Not Warcraft, satirized the game World of Warcraft. In the episode, the word is pronounced [poʊn] (pone), rhyming with "own".
  • "Looks like you're about to get pwned. Yeah!" - Eric Cartman (20m 30s into episode)
  • "That was such über-pwnage" - Kyle Broflovski (soon after above)
• In Teen Girl Squad, "PØwned" appears on the screen and is pronounced by Strong Bad as "Puh-owned! Or however you say that!" Later the derivative "P4wned" appears, referring to a pawnshop and is pronounced "Puh-awned".^[7]
• During the telecast of the 2006 World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions, Daniel Negreanu tells Mike Matusow that Mike Sexton pwned ([poʊnd]; pond) Matusow with an especially good play. The closed-captioning, however, misinterpreted Negreanu's remark as "boned".
• The Internet TV show Pure Pwnage claims that the word is pronounced "own", as it was a spelling mistake in the first place.
• In a classic XKCD cartoon.
• The word is pronounced [poʊn] (pone) in the popular online video called Pwned.nl[1].
• In the movie Employee of the Month, the character played by Dane Cook uses pwned (poned) during a competitive scene.
• The vodcast Bikini News, in their episode Guide To Getting Your Crappy Video Seen Online!!!, states that by following their advice, "You'll pwn all of us!".
• One of the 2007 Hannah Montana episodes has the word pronounced [poʊn] (pone), rhyming with "own".
• The term was one of 16 to appear on the 2007 "List of Words and Phrases Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness," released annually by Lake Superior State University.^[8]
• The RiffTrax audio track for the movie Batman and Robin uses the term in a series of riffs, where Mike Nelson claims that it is pronounced "owned".

References

See also

• Internet slang
• Leet
• Noob
• Owned
• Pure Pwnage
• Gosu
• Uber