B-Language Translator

What Is B Language?

B language (also called B-talk or Ob language) is a simple language game in which the syllable "ob" (or sometimes "ub") is inserted after each consonant in a word. The result is an encoded version of English that sounds like nonsense to the uninitiated but can be decoded by anyone who knows the pattern. Like Pig Latin and Ubbi Dubbi, B language is part of a long tradition of informal secret languages invented by children and teenagers who want to communicate without adults understanding them.

The basic rule: take each consonant in a word and follow it with "ob" (keeping vowels unchanged). So "hello" becomes "hobellobo" — the H gets "ob" appended, the L letters each get "ob" appended. With practice, speakers can achieve surprising speed, making the code genuinely difficult for untrained ears to decode in real time. The name itself — "B language" or "Ob language" — comes from the "ob" insertion pattern that defines it.

The Tradition of Children's Secret Languages

Secret languages invented by children have existed across cultures and throughout history. Pig Latin is the most widely known in English-speaking cultures — moving initial consonant clusters to the end and adding "-ay." Ubbi Dubbi (popularised by the TV show Zoom) inserts "ub" before each vowel. Cockney rhyming slang, while adult in origin, served a similar function of encoding speech. Verlan in French reverses syllable order. Rövarspråket (the Robber's Language) in Swedish works similarly to B language.

These language games serve several social functions: they create in-group membership, allow private communication in public, and provide a form of play with the structure of language itself. For children, learning to speak fluently in a language game demonstrates linguistic sophistication — the ability to mentally transform words at speed while maintaining conversation. Linguists study these games as windows into how speakers represent phonological structure in their minds.

B Language Examples

How common English words transform in B language:

Language Games and Linguistics

Language games reveal how speakers unconsciously represent the structure of words. When a child fluently speaks Pig Latin, they demonstrate knowledge of English phonology — they know where consonant clusters begin and end, where the vowel nucleus starts, and how syllables are structured — even if they could not articulate these rules explicitly. The same applies to B language: speaking it fluently requires rapid subconscious parsing of consonant-vowel structure.

Academic linguists have studied secret languages as evidence for phonological theory — particularly for understanding how speakers mentally represent syllable structure. The patterns of what is moved, inserted, or transformed in different language games across different cultures suggest that certain phonological units (like the syllable onset — the initial consonant cluster) are universally salient in human linguistic perception, regardless of the speaker's native language.

How This B Language Translator Works

This B language translator converts your standard English text into B language — applying the "ob" insertion pattern after consonants to produce the encoded version familiar to speakers of this playful children's secret language.

Perfect for nostalgia, playing with children, puzzling adults, or anyone who wants to explore this simple but surprisingly effective language game. Can you read this back? Gobood lobuckob!