Master Pitman Shorthand Strokes Step-by-Step
Follow the full pedagogical workflow: Learn the rule, watch the stroke animation, practice across 4 graduated tiers (Guided, Assisted, Free Practice, Test), receive instant angle & direction feedback, and build real words.
Stroke P
light Line Weight/p/ as in Pay, Post, Pen
Consonants are written in pairs of light (voiceless) and heavy (voiced). P is written with a light touch.
Geometry: A light straight stroke drawn downward from left to right at an angle of 120° from the base line. (Slanting 60° from perpendicular (top-left to bottom-right))
Start from the green dot and pull toward the arrow.
How Stroke P is Used in Real Words
You have learned this stroke. Now see how it is used inside real words. Observe how it connects smoothly to adjacent strokes without lifting the pen.
Pay
How "Pay" is Constructed
Start at the upper left and draw a light straight line downward to rest on the baseline.
- 1. Stroke:Stroke P (light, straight downward at 120°)
- 2. Joining:Single stroke word; rests firmly on the steno baseline
- 3. Vowel:2nd place vowel dot placed at the exact midpoint of P on the right (following) side
- 4. Position:2nd position (on the baseline) because the vowel is 2nd-place Long A (Pay)
Practice Writing "Pay" on Steno Ruled Lines
This writing step is completely optional. You can practice tracing or drawing this outline with mouse, finger, or stylus, or simply move to the next word.
Shorthand mastery progresses from single strokes → joined words → brief phrases → timed speech dictation.
Choose any Pitman Stroke to Practice Above
Click "Practice on Canvas" on any character card below to load it into the ghost guide.
P
light/p/ as in Pay, Post, Pen
B
heavy/b/ as in Bay, Book, Boy
T
light/t/ as in Tea, Top, Tie
D
heavy/d/ as in Day, Do, Door
CH (Chay)
light/tʃ/ as in Chair, Chest, Check
J (Jay)
heavy/dʒ/ as in Joy, Judge, Age
K (Kay)
light/k/ as in Key, Cook, King
G (Gay)
heavy/ɡ/ as in Go, Give, Game
F (Ef)
light/f/ as in Fee, For, Off
V (Vee)
heavy/v/ as in View, Voice, Have
TH (Ith)
light/θ/ as in Thin, Think, Path
M (Em)
light/m/ as in Me, Man, Make
N (En)
light/n/ as in No, Name, New
L (El)
light/l/ as in Look, Late, Life
R (Ray - Upward)
light/r/ as in Red, Right, Room