Pitman Shorthand

Pitman shorthand is a system of writing speech quickly using strokes for sounds instead of letters. It is widely used for English stenography and is tested in many court and government stenographer exams.

It includes a theory course based on the New Era method, outline flashcards, outline reading practice, and timed speed dictation with instant scoring.

Start with the theory course and work through the units in order. Then use flashcards to memorize outlines, and move to reading and dictation once the basics feel comfortable.

Each card shows a shorthand outline and asks you to recall the word. You grade yourself, and the flashcards track which outlines you know so you can focus on the weak ones.

You read passages written in shorthand outlines and check your reading against the answer. It builds the speed of recognizing outlines, which is essential for accurate transcription.

You listen to a dictation at a set speed, write it in shorthand on paper, then transcribe and submit it. The result is scored for accuracy and compared with the target for that exercise.

Some lessons and exercises are free and others need an active plan. Each item shows whether it is free before you open it.

You can browse units and categories without an account. To save flashcard progress and attempts, create a free account or log in.

The My Growth page shows your accuracy trend and the outlines you flagged as weak, so you know what to revise next.

Yes. The Pitman leaderboard ranks practice results so you can see how your speed and accuracy compare with other learners.

It depends on daily practice. Most learners need several months of regular practice to write confidently at exam speeds, so short daily sessions work better than occasional long ones.