New symbol proposed for ‘the’

You’re not alone.

Paul Mathis, an Australian restaurateur, shares your pain and has introduced a shortened version of the word for those of us who frequently text: Ћ.

As you can see, it combines T and h, and is pronounced th. Think of it this way: As an ampersand is to and, so is Ћ to the.

The definite article, Mathis says, appears in 80 percent of all English paragraphs, and therefore it deserves to be shortened.