Helpful Symbols and Shortcuts for Taking Notes
Note-taking Symbols and Abbreviations !
Below is a list of common symbols and short forms that can help you take notes faster.
How to Take Quick Notes: Using Abbreviations
Abbreviations for Faster Note-Taking
A simplified and easy-to-read version of the content presented in a table from A to Z.
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| approx. | Approximately |
| b/c | Because |
| b/4 | Before |
| bk. | Book |
| C | Century (e.g., 21C for ‘twenty-first century’) |
| c. | Around, approximately (from Latin ‘circa’) |
| cf. | Compare to, in comparison with |
| cp. | Compare |
| def. | Definition |
| diff. | Different, difference |
| ea. | Each |
| e.g. | For example |
| fr. | From |
| etc. | And so on |
| i.e. | That is, in other words |
| impt. | Important |
| NB | Important, note this |
| nec. | Necessary |
| re. | Regarding, about |
| sim. | Similar |
| s/t | Something |
| T. | Theory, theoretical |
| tho’ | Though |
| thro’ | Through |
| w/ | With |
| w/o | Without |
| viz. | Namely, that is to say |
| v. | Very |
| vv. | Extremely |
| vs. | Against |
| ppl | People |
| res | Research |
| natl | National |
| eqn | Equation |
| ed | Education |
| dep | Department |
| esp | Especially |
| ustand | Understand |
| Am. | Morning |
| Pm. | Afternoon |
| asap | As soon as possible |
| Wrt | With respect to |
| =ity | Equality |
| evryt | Everything |
| infl | Influence |
| r. | Rate (e.g., birth rate) |
| devel | Development |
| expl | Explanation |
| trad | Traditional |
| cult | Cultural |
| instit | Institution |
| justific | Justification |
| nt | Nothing |
| lrg | Large |
| soc. | Social or society |
| Stats | Statistics |
| Am’t | Amount |
| educat’l | Educational |
| subj | Subject |
| cons | Conservative |
| ind | Individual |
| ckg | Checking |
| estg | Establishing |
| Expting | Experimenting |
| bkgd | Background |
| ppd | Prepared |
| prblm | Problem |
| C19 | Nineteenth century (e.g., C20 for 20th century) |
| 1920s | 1920-1929 (similar for other decades) |
| Ltd | Limited |
| max. | Maximum |
| min. | Minimum |
| G.B. | Great Britain |
| U.K. | United Kingdom |
| Eng. | English |
| Brit. | British |
| Sts | Students |
Quick Note-Taking Symbols | A-Z Guide
A list of Useful Symbols and Abbreviations from A to Z in English.
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 2 | To, two, too |
| 4 | For |
| 8 | Anything ending in ‘ate’ |
| + | And, also, in addition to |
| – | Minus, without |
| ≠ | Does not equal, is not the same as |
| ≈ | Is approximately equal to, is similar to |
| = | Equals, is the same as |
| > | Is greater than, is larger than |
| ↑ | Increase, rise, growth |
| < | Is less than, is smaller than |
| ↑↑ | Rapid increase |
| ↓ | Decrease, fall, shrinkage |
| ↓↓ | Rapid decrease |
| ∴ | Therefore, thus |
| ∵ | Because |
| → | Leads to, causes |
| x | No, not, incorrect |
| xx | Definitely not, disproved |
| ? | Uncertain, possibly, question |
| ✓ | Yes, correct |
| ✓✓ | Definitely, certain, proven |
| # | Number |
| ✳ | Special, important |
| / | Per (e.g., £50/day) |
| ! | Not, isn’t |
| @ | At |
| ∝ | Proportional to |
| Δ | Change |
| ♀️ | Female, women |
| ♂️ | Male, men |
| … | Means space in quote |
Specific Historical Terms
A list of Useful Symbols and Abbreviations from A to Z in English.
| Abbreviation | Full Form |
|---|---|
| 19thC or 19C | 19th Century |
| WWI | World War I |
| WWII | World War II |
| Indust. Rev. | Industrial Revolution |
| Fren. Rev. | French Revolution |
| Rus. Rev. | Russian Revolution |
| Nat Soc or Nazism | National Socialism |
| Prus | Prussian |
| US | United States or American |
| Brit or GB | Great Britain or Britain |
| Eng. | English or England |
| Germ. | German |
| Fr. | French or France |
Abbreviations You Don’t Use Often for Taking Notes
A list of Useful Symbols and Abbreviations from A to Z in English.
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| A | Answer |
| adm. | Administration |
| adj. | Adjective, Adjourned, Adjustment |
| abr. | Abridged |
| abbr. | Abbreviation, Abbreviated |
| acad. | Academic, Academy |
| aka. | Also known as |
| app. | Appendix |
| assoc. | Association |
| biol. | Biology |
| bibliog. | Bibliography |
| bot. | Botanical, Botany |
| cap. | Capital, Capitalize |
| chap. | Chapter |
| chem. | Chemical |
| co. | Company |
| colloq. | Colloquial, Colloquialism |
| conf. | Conference, Confer |
| cont. | Containing, Content, Continue, Continued |
| com. | Commercial, Commission, Communication |
| cr. | Credit |
| crit. | Criticism |
| diag. | Diagram |
| disc. | Discovered |
| dist. | Distinguished |
| div. | Dividend, Division |
| distr. | Distribution, Distributed |
| econ. | Economics, Economy |
| esp. | Especially |
| est. | Established, Estimate |
| ex. | Examined, Example |
| excl. | Excluding |
| f. | Feminine, Frequency |
| gen. | Gender, General |
| govt. | Government |
| hist. | History, Historical, Historian |
| illus. | Illustrated |
| inc. | Including |
| info. | Information |
| lang. | Language |
| m. | Male |
| orig. | Original, Originated |
| p. / pp. | Page / Pages |
| para. | Paragraph |
| poss. | Possible, Possibly |
| prin. | Principal |
| prob. | Problem, Probably |
| probs. | Problems |
| prod. | Produced by, Production |
| pt. / pts. | Part, Point / Parts |
| Q. | Question |
| ref. | Refer, Reference |
| reg. | Region, Registered, Regular, Regulation |
| rev. | Review, Revision |
| sci. | Science, Scientific |
| sect. | Section |
| sp. | Special, Species, Specific |
| st. | Study, Student |
| univ. | Universal, University |
| usu. | Usually |
| vers. | Version |
| yr. | Year |
Read more about “Pronunciations“
FAQs for abbreviations
What does “adm.” stand for?
A: “Adm.” stands for Administration.
What does “adj.” mean?
A: “Adj.” can mean Adjective, Adjourned, or Adjustment.
What is the abbreviation for “Abridged”?
A: The abbreviation for “Abridged” is “abr.”
What does “abbr.” refer to?
A: “Abbr.” refers to Abbreviation or Abbreviated.
What does “aka.” mean?
A: “Aka.” stands for “Also known as.”
What does “assoc.” stand for?
A: “Assoc.” stands for Association.
What is the abbreviation for “Botany”?
A: The abbreviation for “Botany” is “bot.”
What does “cap.” refer to?
A: “Cap.” can refer to Capital or Capitalize.
What is the abbreviation for “Chapter”?
A: The abbreviation for “Chapter” is “chap.”
What does “cont.” mean?
A: “Cont.” can mean Containing, Content, Continue, or Continued.
What does “cr.” stand for?
A: “Cr.” stands for Credit.
What does “econ.” refer to?
A: “Econ.” refers to Economics or Economy.
What is the abbreviation for “Government”?
A: The abbreviation for “Government” is “govt.”
What does “info.” mean?
A: “Info.” stands for Information.
What does “orig.” refer to?
A: “Orig.” refers to Original or Originated.
What is the abbreviation for “Page”?
A: The abbreviation for “Page” is “p.” and for “Pages” is “pp.”
What does “ref.” stand for?
A: “Ref.” stands for Refer or Reference.
What does “sci.” mean?
A: “Sci.” stands for Science or Scientific.
What is the abbreviation for “Special”?
A: The abbreviation for “Special” is “sp.”
What does “yr.” refer to?
A: “Yr.” refers to Year.
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