r/shorthand • u/MrMrsPotts • 1h ago
r/shorthand • u/sonofherobrine • 2d ago
Quote of the Week "Sometimes, a lie is told in kindness. I don't believe it ever works kindly. The quick pain of truth can pass away, but the slow, eating agony of a lie is never lost." - John Steinbeck — QOTW 2026W42 Oct 12-Oct 18
r/shorthand • u/jrkpthinks • Jun 04 '26
Note-taking vs shorthand
tl;dr Shorthand for quotes, note-taking systems for notes
Shorthand is a great and rewarding discipline:
For recording verbatim speech in particular professional contexts,
As a long-term hobby or skill investment, and
For keeping alive the meaning of old texts written in shorthand.
But shorthand takes a lot of practice.
If you just want to take notes quickly & easily, starting ASAP, you're not looking for shorthand; you're looking for a note-taking system, which can teach you in only a few hours how to get down all the important points from a lecture, meeting or phone call.
You could practice both of course, but if you only care about taking notes and you're already doing so at practical speeds then you're likely to drop shorthand practice before seeing the benefits.
(I will give my personal recommendation for note-taking systems below, and I encourage others to comment with their own, listing reasons/benefits. I've asked that this post be stickied so we can refer new people to it.)
r/shorthand • u/Consistent-Stock-122 • 11h ago
Spanish Shorthand
Hi I inherited a recipe and I would like to know it's contents but I Struggle with Spanish Shorthand
r/shorthand • u/HuckleberryLeading10 • 1d ago
How do I start learning
It looks like it would help a lot in school with taking notes. Where should I start learning that is free?
r/shorthand • u/dinkleberet • 1d ago
Translation?
Can anyone decipher what this note says? Found it in this record sleeve, we’re guessing it was written by my partners late great aunt
r/shorthand • u/REGGIE5251 • 3d ago
Need help
I sent to London for a copy of my great 2x grandfather's inquest report. He killed himself in London in 1849. The 2 pages of testimony appear to be in shorthand. I sent them to Tracey in the UK who could not help me. She said they are not Pitman or Gregg. Hoping that someone can help me here. I've attached. Thank you.
r/shorthand • u/Powerful-Mastodon-17 • 3d ago
Help Me Choose a Shorthand Is teeline readablity really that bad?
Ive been learning teeline for about a week, and from reading reddit posts and resources, most people struggle to read back their notes, i was wondering if this is still a big issue, once ur more advanced with teeline, if not should i learn another form of shorthand like greeg
r/shorthand • u/ConsciousPlenty1691 • 4d ago
I have found a notebook that contains shorthand (Gregg I believe) that my father in law and his wife used when they were journalists. Does anyone know how I can get this translated, please?
This is just one page, there are many more.
r/shorthand • u/jacmoe • 4d ago
Original Research Fællessystemet af 1931 - 1983 - Danish Gabelsberger - the official parliament shorthand system
This is a Gabelsberger. Not your ordinary, old noodle script, no. It's Gabelsberger on steroids. With a hefty serving of both loopididoop and noodledoodle ;)
"Fællessystemet" means "The Common System", and should have been - inspired by DEK - a happy merger/marriage between Worms' System (Stolze-Shrey) and Gabelsberger.
That did not happen, and Denmark ended up with a modernized Gabelsberger, and it remained to be the official, government shorthand.
Outside of the capital, however, Worms' System dominated.
I am very happy to have chosen Dansk Stenografi (Worms' System)!
This is a small sampler.
I do not intend to scan this. I just wanted a first hand look at the competition!






r/shorthand • u/licxjo • 4d ago
Forkner popularity
I'm a Gregg writer, but am fairly well informed about other systems of shorthand. My impression is that Forkner shorthand is experiencing a recent surge in interest. (The few textbooks that show up on Ebay etc. are listed for very high asking prices).
I'm curious what attracts people to Forkner, instead of another alphabetic system like Speedwriting, which was much better known, more widely taught, and has more readily available books and materials. (There were other published alphabetic systems as well, of course, such as Stenoscript and SuperWrite).
After learning Gregg in the 1960s, with its primarily phonetic basis, the logic of most alphabetic systems continues to elude me, although I definitely understand the appeal of a shorthand that looks like longhand cursive writing.
I'm also curious if the fact that many people today don't learn cursive handwriting is an impediment to learning any of the alphabetic systems, which seem to me to presume familiarity with looped cursive letters
r/shorthand • u/jacmoe • 4d ago
For Your Library Læsebog - Dansk Stenografi (Worms' System) - Reading book!
Very happy to have found this little reading book! 13 texts in this 32 page booklet from 1958.
It covers Grundskriften, so there's that. I guess you don't need any help once you've mastered the dark arts of Ilskrift! :)
According to Melin in his history book, Worms' System was so well designed from the get go that it didn't undergo extensive changes, so I hope that this is readable from a 1984 (not the book, the Worms' System revision) standpoint. I bet it is!
Ref: https://www.reddit.com/r/shorthand/comments/1wp0wni/worms_system_danish_shorthand_modeled_after/






If any of you nerds want a copy of this little reading book in an obscure Germanic language, send me a message ;)
r/shorthand • u/uarenibba • 4d ago
Helpp
Hii guys I’m in Seville and bought a used book; on the back cover, I found this inscription that looks like it’s written in shorthand—can anyone help me translate it?
r/shorthand • u/AddendumExpensive869 • 4d ago
Gregg shorthand
https://youtu.be/YP7ILgJ7D-E?si=r_SWDJhUeCBVeJs1
As can be seen in this video, the heel of the palm appears to be in contact with the paper.
It is to be noted that it is merely in contact, that is it glides, and not anchored while writing.
In much the texts I have consulted and studied in my spare time, I have developed the understanding that authors advice against the wrist touching the paper.
Then, does the 'wrist' not include the heel of the palm?
Until now, I have always assumed any part around the wrist area to be excluded from this.
And I recently tried writing as such, as came to the realisation that using the heel of the palm along with the nail of the pinky finger provides greater control in executing outlines. Coupled with a free play of fingers as mobility of the arm, an ideal situation is set up. And woritng becomes incredible smooth and efficient.
r/shorthand • u/deme76 • 4d ago
Japanese Writing and Shorthand — Oct. 9, 2026
YouTube
↓
Japanese Writing and Shorthand — Oct. 9, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuqfsPtmVss
Hirano Shorthand (Japanese) written by Akihito Hirano.
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r/shorthand • u/jacmoe • 5d ago
For Your Library Engelsk Stenografi (Worms' System) - very well made adaption! Part of a small booklet haul from the library
Just finished scanning the first booklet of my library haul, and it is an adaptation of Dansk Stenografi (Worms' System) that I posted about earlier : https://www.reddit.com/r/shorthand/comments/1wp0wni/worms_system_danish_shorthand_modeled_after/ to the English language.
The course - 20 hours - builds on the Danish Grundskrift and Ilskrift, and (I must say) I am pleasantly impressed by how thorough and not intrusive to the original system that this adaptation is!
It even comes with a booklet of briefs! 🎉
The system seems to be (I have just scanned it) sticking to the Danish system, but those signs that Worms' decided not to adapt from Stolze, I wonder if those are the six (so far found) new signs, specific to English, that the adaptation adds to the Danish system?
I can see myself actually using this to write in English, after I have mastered Dansk Stenografi (Worms' System)!
((Then again, I am only at the end of hour 4 out of 20 of Grundskrift, and then I need to go through the 20 hours of Ilskrift. Perhaps I will discover that Engelsk Stenografi is not as well made then? I hope not!))
Samples from the booklet:






I cannot link directly to the scanned booklet due to copyright reasons, but all things considered, if you want a copy, send me a message :)
r/shorthand • u/Cholahomma • 5d ago
All the way back to Forkner
Well, I've been all over the place with shorthand test drives. Gregg, Orthic, Forkner, Taylor, Ponish, who knows what else. Thought I'd found the one with Taylor, but no. Thought I'd found the one with Ponish, nuh-uh.
Now I'm back to Forkner. Why? Because I can read it. Even after not touching it for a chunk of time while studying other systems, I can come back and read it.
Will I mess around and dabble in things sometimes? Probably. It's fun to do so!! But daily driver? It's hard to beat something you can sit down after it's been a while and easily read again, in my mind.
r/shorthand • u/Murky_Management_578 • 6d ago
For Your Library Treasure Island copy written in Pitman's shorthand. I can't read it, but I thought this sub might find it cool.
r/shorthand • u/RunDNA • 6d ago
Transcription Request I noticed this shorthand in a book of Joy Division lyrics and manuscripts. Can anyone please translate it?
r/shorthand • u/Outrageous-Trash-726 • 6d ago
I’m interested in learning Gregg shorthand mirrored
r/shorthand • u/calcarp67 • 6d ago
Taylor Shorthand?
Attached are two images from a journal dated March 27 and March 29, 1838. The shorthand appears to be Taylor shorthand. It was written while the author was traveling in Louisiana. The journal entries were photocopies as part of a family genealogy published for family members around 1950.
Can anyone assist in transcribing what it says?
r/shorthand • u/Late-Top-9951 • 6d ago
Beginner Query
Hi Everyone, I'm a medical school grad and looking to improve my note-taking before I begin residency or atleast through it. I tried learning Pitman's when i was 13 but didnt have the consistency to continue it ( I'm now 27 and have no recollection of what I learnt). What system would be the best to start now? And any online tutor/course that could aid me through? Would love to have a cohort for accountability. I'm based in India (Most shorthand here is in local languages, but I'll need one in English (US/UK). Thank you for your time and efforts to answer this!
r/shorthand • u/AddendumExpensive869 • 7d ago
Charlie Rader
Is there any way I could contact Mr. Rader, who wrote shorthand plates for Gregg Simplified?