THE IDEA
Keep up with talk
Shorthand lets you write down speech as it happens. Journalism trainees aim for 100 words per minute, the industry standard.
See the numbersHOW IT WORKS
Write at the speed
of speech.
Shorthand is handwriting stripped to the bone.
Compare the systems
100 WPMthe newsroom standard
Instead of every letter, you write the sounds or the skeleton of a word in quick strokes. Two systems dominate in the UK: Pitman, from 1837, and Teeline, from 1968, which journalism trainees still learn today.
At a glance
- Drop the vowels
- Skip silent letters
- Practise little and often
- Fewer strokes, faster notes
100 wpm
Speed needed for journalism certification
Teeline is the recommended system of the National Council for the Training of Journalists, and 100 words per minute is the speed trainees work towards.
THE STANDARD · NCTJ
150 wpm
Speeds possible with Teeline
Teeline users can reach up to about 150 words per minute, helped by building their own groupings for common words and phrases.
THE CEILING · TEELINE
TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING
Fast enough
for the newsroom.
One figure trainee journalists aim for,
one on what Teeline can reach.
Teeline was recommended to the NCTJ in 1968. In 2021 ownership passed to the NCTJ, which brought the system out of copyright for public benefit.
A QUICK SYSTEM CHECK
Which shorthand
is which?
Pick a system to see how it works. The bar shows roughly how much there is to learn, based on how each system is described.
Based on reference descriptions of Pitman and Teeline shorthand and their versions.
THE SHORT ANSWER
Fewer strokes,
same words.
Every shorthand trades longhand letters
for something quicker to write.
TEELINE
Spelling, slimmed down
Teeline is based on the alphabet. It drops most inner vowels and silent letters and turns common groups like 'ing' into one symbol.
Compare the systems
PITMAN
Sounds, not letters
Pitman writes sounds. Pairs like p and b differ only in stroke thickness, so it was first written with flexible-nibbed pens.
How to start
FOUR STEPS TO START
Learn it like
riding a bike.
Those who use shorthand say the early slog pays off and the skill tends to stay with you. These steps follow how Teeline is built.
Learn the alphabet
Start with the Teeline letter forms, each a stripped-down version of a cursive letter.
Drop inner vowels
Leave out vowels that are not the first or last letter, and ignore silent letters.
Add the shortcuts
Learn single symbols for common groups like 'sh' and 'ing', and common prefixes and suffixes.
Build your speed
Practise to dictation and add your own word groupings as you go.
WHY IT STILL MATTERS
Where recorders
are not allowed.
Under the Contempt of Court Act 1981, using a sound recorder in a UK court without the court's permission is a contempt of court. Notes by hand are often the only record a reporter can take.
Shorthand is also a backup when technology fails, and people in marketing and other professions say they use it in meetings. Its roots go back to Roman times, when scribes took down speeches in the Senate.
Questions
Questions people ask
What is the difference between Pitman and Teeline?
Pitman is phonetic: it writes sounds, using thick and thin strokes and vowel dots. Teeline is spelling-based: it uses simplified letters and leaves out most inner vowels and silent letters.
How fast is shorthand?
Journalism trainees aim for 100 words per minute, and Teeline users can reach up to about 150. Symbol-based systems can in theory go faster still.
Is shorthand still taught?
Yes. In the UK, Teeline is now more commonly taught and used than Pitman, and is the system recommended by the National Council for the Training of Journalists.
Why not just record instead?
Recorders can fail, and in a UK court using one without permission is a contempt of court under the Contempt of Court Act 1981.
When was Teeline invented?
Teeline was developed by a Pitman teacher in Bradford and recommended to the NCTJ in 1968. It was brought out of copyright in 2021.
Sources
Where the facts come from
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