Where did Pwn come from?

Question

Why does everyone say "you got pwned"

why dont they just say "owned"...does anyone know where this stupid expression came from?

Answer 1

It was basically a typo that got popular -- kind of like pron for p**n.

Answer 2

It is part of "Leet speak" or "1337" , a method of typing to defeat word filters in chat and bulletin boards. In Leet speak, short for Elite,  words are intentionally misspelled, numbers replace letters, and words are typed in syllables. some common characters are the letter O replaced by the letter P or the number 0, such as in "Pwned" or "p**n"; the intentinall misspelling of "p**n" is also 1337 speak.

Answer 3

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.ph...

I hope it helps.

Answer 4

"P" is next to "O" on most keyboards. So the original "pwned" was a result of typing too fast. People copied it and it became a slang word.