7 Ways To Write “And” In Short Form

Learning how to write in short form is a skill. It takes time, but it’s certainly doable. This article will look at some good choices for writing “and” in short form. It’s a common word, so the more options we can provide to avoid repeating it, the better!

How Can I Write “And” In Short Form?

There are a few great examples of “and” in the short form. Some of them, you might even be familiar with. Why not check out some of the best ones here:

• &
• N
• ‘N’
• +
• /
• Et
• Whatever you want

The preferred version is “&” (ampersand). It works well because everyone recognizes the ampersand symbol and knows how to interpret it. Therefore, it’s a really easy one to remember to use correctly when writing in short form, and anyone will understand what you mean.

&

“&” is the most universally recognized symbol for “and.” It works well when we want to write in the short form because everyone will be able to make sense of it. If you are planning on sharing your notes with others, this is your best bet to help them understand it.

It’s not always common for short-form notes to be shared. Usually, we are the only people who read them after we’ve taken the notes. However, if you are likely to share your notes, we recommend the ampersand because everyone knows that it means “and.”

Also, it’s a fairly quick symbol to create with a pen. While it might look a little wavy and difficult to create at first, it’s really simple to create it with one brush stroke.

You should test it by first doodling an ampersand and then writing “and” on a piece of paper. You will notice that the ampersand is a lot quicker to complete than “and,” which is what also makes it such a powerful choice for writing in the short form.

• Jack & Joseph will be arriving at 6 later tonight or tomorrow, depending on event finish time.
• Boss & supervisor want meeting at 3. Will attend office ready for that time.
• Friday & Saturday have booked time off. Will enjoy that time away from work.

N

“N” is a one-letter option we can use to replace “and.” We use “N” because it closely resembles the sound that you make when saying “and” (since the “N” is an important letter when pronouncing it).

Using one letter instead of three is a great way to shorten your writing. Since “N” and “and” are so similar, many short-form writers like to stick to this letter usage whenever they’re showing that multiple things should be put into the same group.

Remember, the whole point of the short form is to save you time when taking notes. It’s also to help you look back on your notes and remember what you were writing at the time.

Since “N” is already recognized as an “and” form, we can always rely on remembering what we meant. It’s a great short-form choice for this reason.

Also, it’s entirely up to the writer whether they want to capitalize the letter or not. Some people like to capitalize it to make it stand out, while others like to write it in the lower case because it’s quicker to write.

• Michelle N Rodrigo are up to no good again.
• Tom N Jenkins need to go to the store later tonight
• Cat n dog both out of food, so should get some later.

‘N’

“‘N'” is an extension of the one we explained previously. You might notice that the letter “N” is still used here. However, we’ve also included apostrophes on either side to really highlight that “N” is different from the rest of the sentence.

For some people, this inclusion of extra apostrophes is unnecessary. After all, the whole point of writing in the short form is that it should be quicker and easier to write.

‘N’ and “and” have the same amount of characters (three), so there isn’t anything that shows that ‘N’ will be quicker. However, it’s a stylistic choice. If you like to include the apostrophes to get it to stand out, there should be no reason why you can’t.

• Rock ‘n’ roll date underway.
• Friday ‘n’ Tuesday booked in for spa day.
• Football ‘n’ hockey nights have been set to record.

+

“+” is one of the most popular short-form choices for replacing “and.” Many people use the plus sign whenever they can because it’s one of the more obvious ways to show that two or more things should be grouped together.

The symbol originates from mathematical equations. You are probably already familiar with using plus signs to add things up. Well, the same idea applies when you write plus signs in the short form.

However, this time, instead of adding numbers together, you’re adding words, people, or things. The plus sign helps to group those things up into values that matter and allows you to refer back to your short-form when needed.

The best part about writing in the short form is that you are typically the only person who needs to read it. As we’ve already stated, as long as you know what you’re using the symbols for, there’s no reason why you can’t choose whatever one you want.

• Company director + chair want meeting with big boss on Friday.
• Friday + Monday need to be in office to make sure ready for the presentation.
• Interview + date on same day, so can recycle the clothes you wear for both occasions.

/

Next, we want to go over the slash. It’s not one of the most common options, but we think it’s still beneficial. Some short-form writers swear by the slash, which is why we included it.

“/” allows us to break up two different objects in a sentence. While some people might think the “/” means “or,” others like to use it as both “and” and “or,” depending on the context.

If you’re writing short form that you know other people will be reading, perhaps it’s best to avoid using the forward-slash symbol. However, if you are the only person reading your short form and you know what the slash is for, you can use it to replace “and.”

Since many people only write in the short form for their own sakes (i.e. to help them take notes of a class or presentation), they are the only people who need to understand what they’ve written. That’s why slashes work well, so long as you’re the audience.

If you ever show your short-form notes to other people, you might cause a bit of confusion.

• Steve / Marcus wanted to have a holiday in the Spring.
• Pythag / Newton both have designed something I’m supposed to know about in school today.
• Teachers / students want to gather in the playground to have a soccer match for lunchtime.

Et

We want to touch on “et.” It’s not the best option, which is why we put it last. However, some people like to use it.

“Et” is the Latin form of “and.” It’s commonly seen in other Latin phrases like “et al.,” but we rarely use it as the short form of “and.” However, some people like to use Latin forms like this (and it is still one letter shorter than “and”).

The idea of writing in short form is to make it quicker to write. “Et” is a much quicker word to write down than “and.” In fact, you should give it a try on a piece of paper in front of you.

Since short form developed from notepads, it is much more common to write with a pen, and “et” is much quicker to complete than “and.”

While some people might find “et” to be pretentious because of its Latin roots, there’s nothing wrong with using it if you like it. Some people simply do not like to use symbols.

• Tom et Callie will be coming to party tonight at 3.
• He et she will be there. Make sure there is room for both to arrive.
• They et co. have decided to make it a gathering for the masses.

Whatever You Want

Okay, this last one is a bit outlandish, but stick with us. Since most people write in short form to help them take notes, they tend to be the only people who will read it.

Therefore, you can technically use whatever symbol, letter, or word you want to replace “and.” As long as it’s shorter than “and,” and you know what it means when you read it back, you can use anything.

The whole point of the short form is to allow you to look back on your notes and decipher them when it matters. It’s wise to keep the same letter, symbol, or word throughout your short-form writing if you’re going to make up your own.

You might end up confusing yourself more if you have multiple different symbols that all mean the same thing. So, if you’re going to use whatever you want to use, make sure it stays consistent at the very least!

You may also like: When Should I Use “&” vs. “And”? Easy Ampersand Guide