Xah Shorthand System (Abbrev Input)

By Xah Lee. Date: . Last updated: .

notes on creating a shorthand system for typing on computer keyboard.

;; 2025-02-22

    ;; frequency within 100

    ("b" "but")
    ("d" "does")
    ("f" "for")
    ("h" "have")
    ("k" "know")
    ("l" "let")
    ("m" "more")
    ("n" "and")
    ("o" "of")
    ("r" "are")
    ("t" "the")
    ("u" "you")

    ("ab" "about")
    ("adi" "adding")
    ("aft" "after")
    ("ag" "again")
    ("agn" "against")
    ("ant" "another")
    ("ard" "already")
    ("bf" "before")
    ("bk" "become")
    ("bks" "because")
    ("bn" "been")
    ("bt" "between")
    ("btr" "better")
    ("cj" "change")
    ("cji" "changing")
    ("cn" "cannot")
    ("enth" "anything")
    ("enwhr" "anywhere")

    ;; HHHH------------------------------

    ;; frequency within 500

    ("gn" "gonna")
    ("otr" "other")

    ;; HHHH------------------------------

    ;; frequency within 1k

    ("enm" "anymore")
    ("evr" "every")
    ("fdi" "finding")
    ("fnl" "finally")
    ("hev" "however")
    ("hr" "here")
    ("hs" "has")
    ("hvi" "having")
    ("kd" "could")
    ("ktr" "control")
    ("ktrd" "controlled")
    ("lk" "like")
    ("lks" "likes")
    ("lt" "little")
    ("luk" "look")
    ("mb" "maybe")
    ("min" "minute")
    ("mk" "make")
    ("mtr" "matter")
    ("nd" "need")
    ("oft" "often")
    ("ov" "over")
    ("ow" "always")
    ("pb" "problem" xah--abhook)
    ("ph" "perhaps")
    ("pls" "please")
    ("pp" "people")
    ("pt" "point")
    ("rd" "read")
    ("rl" "really")
    ("rlz" "realize")
    ("rlzs" "realizes")
    ("rt" "return")
    ("sd" "should")
    ("sec" "second" xah--abhook)
    ("sm" "some")
    ("sth" "something")
    ("sti" "sitting")
    ("stm" "sometime")
    ("stms" "sometimes")
    ("td" "today")
    ("thi" "thing")
    ("thm" "them")
    ("ths" "these")
    ("thx" "thanks")
    ("tir" "their")
    ("tk" "think")
    ("tki" "thinking")
    ("tm" "time")
    ("tn" "then")
    ("tos" "those")
    ("tot" "thought")
    ("tr" "there")
    ("ts" "this")
    ("tt" "that")
    ("ty" "they")
    ("udst" "understand")
    ("udstd" "understanding")
    ("ur" "your")
    ("ursf" "yourself")
    ("usl" "usually")
    ("w" "with")
    ("wa" "what")
    ("wc" "which")
    ("wd" "would")
    ("whr" "where")
    ("wk" "work")
    ("wki" "working")
    ("wm" "woman")
    ("wme" "women")
    ("wn" "when")
    ("wo" "without")
    ("wr" "were")
    ("wt" "want" xah--abhook)
    ("yrs" "years")
    ;; ("smt" "smart")

    ;; HHHH------------------------------

    ;; most common phrases

    ("abi" "about it")
    ("atm" "at the moment")
    ("btw" "by the way")
    ("cnt" "can't")
    ("cdnt" "couldn't")
    ("ct" "can't")
    ("ddn" "did not")
    ("ddnt" "didn't")
    ("di" "does it")
    ("dn" "do not")
    ("dnt" "don't")
    ("dsn" "does not")
    ("dsnt" "doesn't")
    ("dunno" "don't know")
    ("hdu" "how do you")
    ("hn" "have not")
    ("hrr" "here are")
    ("hrs" "here's")
    ("hsn" "has not")
    ("hsnt" "hasn't")
    ("ht" "how to")
    ("hvnt" "haven't")
    ("hvt" "have to")
    ("hws" "how is")
    ("ic" "I see")
    ("idk" "I don't know")
    ("ii" "it is")
    ("il" "I will")
    ("im" "I'm")
    ("iow" "in other words")
    ("isb" "it should be")
    ("isnt" "isn't")
    ("itd" "it would")
    ("itl" "it will")
    ("itt" "is that")
    ("iv" "i've")
    ("ivt" "i have to")
    ("lka" "look at")
    ("ls" "let's")
    ("lss" "let's say")
    ("mto" "more than one")
    ("nw" "no way")
    ("oc" "of course")
    ("od" "one would")
    ("slt" "something like that")

    ("otoh" "on the other hand")
    ("pov" "point of view")
    ("rn" "are not")
    ("sdb" "should be")
    ("sdn" "shouldn't")
    ("sdnt" "shouldn't")
    ("sdv" "should have")
    ("sdvb" "should have been")
    ("tb" "to be")
    ("tis" "it is")
    ("tosr" "those are")
    ("trr" "there are")
    ("trs" "there is")
    ("tsr" "these are")
    ("tss" "this is")
    ("ttr" "that are")
    ("tts" "that is")
    ("tu" "thank you")
    ("twb" "that would be")
    ("tyr" "they are")
    ("uc" "you see")
    ("ul" "you'll")
    ("uv" "you've")
    ("wdnt" "wouldn't")
    ("wl" "we will")
    ("wnt" "won't")
    ("ws" "what is")
    ("wsnt" "wasn't")
    ("wtf" "what the fuck")
    ("wwr" "we were")

    ("afaik" "as far as i know")
    ("dfb" "difference between")
    ("iirc" "if i recall correctly")
    ("irl" "in real life")
    ("itfu" "in the following")

    ("tral" "there are a lot")
    ("tralo" "there are a lot of")
    ("tsb" "there should be")
    ("wrt" "with respect to")
    ("wtdb" "What's the difference between")

    ("otu" "of the")
    ("ot" "other than")
    ("imo" "in my opinion")

    ;; HHHH------------------------------
    ;; established abbrev

    ("1st" "first")
    ("2nd" "second")
    ("3rd" "third")
    ("eg" "e.g.")
    ("esp" "especially")
    ("ex" "example")
    ("ez" "easy")
    ("foto" "photo")
    ("ie" "i.e.")

    ;; HHHH------------------------------

    ;; top 2k to 3k

    ("stdi" "study")
    ("stdii" "studying")
    ("thms" "themselves")

    ;; HHHH------------------------------

    ;; english, long words

    ("abgs" "ambiguous")
    ("abmns" "abomination")
    ("absl" "absolute")
    ("absll" "absolutely")
    ("abst" "abstract")
    ("absts" "abstraction")
    ("abtr" "arbitrary")
    ("abtrl" "arbitrarily")
    ("abves" "abbreviation")
    ("adr" "address" xah--abhook)
    ("adv" "advice")

;; more

Xah Shorthand System, Intro

A keyboard based shorthand system.

General Scheme on Xah Shorthand System

some general scheme on abbrev design. this is written and edit as i go over the years working on xah abbrev system casually.

Problem with Using Phonetics

English has 44 phonemes. For example,

Consonant Phonemes:

Vowel Phonemes:

if we gonna use phonetic alphabet as a abbrev system, that means, we need to 3 keys for each words like

which basically means very little saving of keystrokes.

in some cases, more keystrokes, because we need to distinguish vowels.

so, this means, a pure phonemes based abbrev system won't work.

Xah Talk Show 2022-02-02

Keybinding and Input-System