Esoteric programming languages also called Esolangs are weird programming languages with basic syntax and a restricted alphabet. Basically, these programming languages were created just for fun because their use remains dubious.
All these examples will be compared with the basic Hello World in C (Language of my nightmares when I was in school)
// Hello World in C
int main(void) {
printf("Hello, world!");
return 0;
}
Let's see some examples.
INTERICAL
One of the earliest and famous known Esolang
"Hello World" example:
DO ,1 <- #13
PLEASE DO ,1 SUB #1 <- #238
DO ,1 SUB #2 <- #108
DO ,1 SUB #3 <- #112
DO ,1 SUB #4 <- #0
DO ,1 SUB #5 <- #64
DO ,1 SUB #6 <- #194
DO ,1 SUB #7 <- #48
PLEASE DO ,1 SUB #8 <- #22
DO ,1 SUB #9 <- #248
DO ,1 SUB #10 <- #168
DO ,1 SUB #11 <- #24
DO ,1 SUB #12 <- #16
DO ,1 SUB #13 <- #162
PLEASE READ OUT ,1
PLEASE GIVE UP
Brainfuck
This Esolang only uses ><+-.,[] and if you use any other character it will be ignored or taken as a comment.
"Hello World" example:
++++++++[>++++[>++>+++>+++>+<<<<-]>+>+>->>+[<]<-]>>.>---.+++++++..+++.>>.<-.<.+++.------.--------.>>+.>++.
Fish ><>
In this programming language, every character is an instruction.
“Hello World” example:
"hello, world"r\
o;!?l<
Befunge
One of the oldest and the most famous two-dimensional esolang. Befunge was created as a language that would be as hard to compile as possible. Well, they did it.
"Hello World" example:
64+"!dlroW ,olleH">:#,_@
Whitespace
It uses only whitespace as syntax. Everything other than spaces, tabs, or linefeeds is just ignored.
"Hello World" example:
Hello,[Space]world![Space][Space][Tab][Space][Space][Tab][Space][Space][Space][LF]
[Tab][LF][Space][Space]
[Space][Space][Space][Tab][Tab][Space][Space][Tab][Space][Tab][LF]
[Tab][LF][Space][Space]
[Space][Space][Space][Tab][Tab][Space][Tab][Tab][Space][Space][LF]
[Tab][LF][Space][Space]
[Space][Space][Space][Tab][Tab][Space][Tab][Tab][Space][Space][LF]
[Tab][LF][Space][Space]
[Space][Space][Space][Tab][Tab][Space][Tab][Tab][Tab][Tab][LF]
[Tab][LF][Space][Space]
[Space][Space][Space][Tab][Space][Tab][Tab][Space][Space][LF]
[Tab][LF][Space][Space]
[Space][Space][Space][Tab][Space][Space][Space][Space][Space][LF]
[Tab][LF][Space][Space]
[Space][Space][Space][Tab][Tab][Tab][Space][Tab][Tab][Tab][LF]
[Tab][LF][Space][Space]
[Space][Space][Space][Tab][Tab][Space][Tab][Tab][Tab][Tab][LF]
[Tab][LF][Space][Space]
[Space][Space][Space][Tab][Tab][Tab][Space][Space][Tab][Space][LF]
[Tab][LF][Space][Space]
[Space][Space][Space][Tab][Tab][Space][Tab][Tab][Space][Space][LF]
[Tab][LF][Space][Space]
[Space][Space][Space][Tab][Tab][Space][Space][Tab][Space][Space][LF]
[Tab][LF][Space][Space]
[LF][LF][LF]
Emo
Currently stands for Emoticon Memory Obfuscation. Basically is simply a programming language that is written in emoticons.
"Hello World" example:
:^) :o) :o) :o) :^) :^(
<;^}
:^) :^) :^) :^) :^) :^) :^(
;^}
:^) :^) :^) :^) :^) :^) :^) :^) :^) :^(
;^}
:^) :^) :^(
;^}
:^(
;-| ;-| ;-| ;-}
:-(>
;^}
:^) :^) :( :@
;^}
:^) :@
:^) :^) :^) :^) :^) :^) :^) :@
:@
:^) :^) :^) :@
:(
;^}
:^) :^) :@
:(
;-| ;-}
:^) :^) :^) :^) :^) :^) :^) :^) :^) :^) :^) :^) :^) :^) :^) :@
:(
;^}
:@
:^) :^) :^) :@
:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :@
:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :@
;^}
:^) :@
;^| ;@
LOLCODE
This language expressed in examples of the lolcat Internet meme. This lolcat meme is often idiosyncratic and intentionally grammatically incorrect and is known as lolspeak.
"Hello World" example:
HAI 1.3
VISIBLE "Hello world!"
KTHXBYE
This is an example of a loop, so we can see this particular syntaxis
HAI 1.3
IM IN YR loop UPPIN YR var TIL BOTH SAEM var AN 10
VISIBLE SMOOSH var AN " " MKAY!
IM OUTTA YR loop
KTHXBYE
Omgrofl
The name comes from combining the "words" omg and rofl. And Rofl is actually one of Omgrofl's commands.
"Hello World" example:
w00t a Hello, World! program by poiuy_qwert
lol iz 72
rofl lol
lol iz 101
rofl lol
lol iz 108
rofl lol
rofl lol
lool iz 111
rofl lool
loool iz 44
rofl loool
loool iz 32
rofl loool
loool iz 87
rofl loool
rofl lool
lool iz 114
rofl lool
rofl lol
lol iz 100
rofl lol
lol iz 33
rofl lol
stfu
Pikalang
Its instructions are sounds made by Pikachu from Pokémon
"Hello World" example:
pi pi pi pi pi pi pi pi pi pi pika pipi pi pi pi pi pi pi pi pipi pi pi
pi pi pi pi pi pi pi pi pipi pi pi pi pipi pi pichu pichu pichu pichu ka
chu pipi pi pi pikachu pipi pi pikachu pi pi pi pi pi pi pi pikachu
pikachu pi pi pi pikachu pipi pi pi pikachu pichu pichu pi pi pi pi pi
pi pi pi pi pi pi pi pi pi pi pikachu pipi pikachu pi pi pi pikachu ka
ka ka ka ka ka pikachu ka ka ka ka ka ka ka ka pikachu pipi pi pikachu
pipi pikachu
Chicken
In this programming language, the word "chicken" is the only valid symbol.
So the "Hello World" example is huge!
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken
chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken
You really scroll down the whole chicken “Hello World”?!
Well, to find out more about these cute and strange programming languages, I recommend you take a look at this Esolang wiki, there are so many programming languages in which you can play, get stressed and, why not, get inspired to create your own Esolang.
Top comments (4)
That's an awesome collection of languages. I didn't know such languages exists, where we need to go through all of this hassle.
Looking forward to more such awesome posts
I am rating it high quality.
Thanks!! 😁
Some of these esolangs look really fun 😂
Brainfuck 🤯 and Chicken 🐔 look absolutely crazy, makes me all the more grateful for high-level languages.
Yeah me too, I definitely would have dropped out School if the exams were on Chicken 🤣