Abbreviations, contractions, and symbols were often used to save time and space on the paper, which was a very expensive commodity.You will most likely come across shorthand references in your research.
 The letter “y” often stood in for the letters “th” in English documents. You may come across the word “ye” in a document, which could be an abbreviation for the word “the.”

, Signs and symbols were often used to signify a certain word, and you will most likely run across one or two in your research.The symbol “@” can be used to replace the word “per.”If you come across “@ week,” for example, that will most likely mean “per week.”
In English, a short, wavy line that appears over a letter or group of letters is called a tittle. This symbol indicates the exclusion of the letter “m” or “n” or the omission of the suffix “tion.”A very common symbol is “&,” commonly known as the ampersand, and is used to indicate the word “and.” Pay attention to this symbol as it frequently has personal variations and can change from author to author.
Understand space-saving characters.
Look for “th” replacements.
Look for symbols.
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