In medieval manuscripts, the spelling of nouns and verbs was often shortened to save transcription space and work. To avoid confusion and ensure proper identification, symbols such as "-," "~," "o" were added above or within some alphabetical letters in shortened words. Numerous methods were used for shortening the spelling of words including: (1) retaining the beginning of a word and omitting the rest (truncation); (2) omitting the middle of a word (contraction); (3) adding "-," "~" or "o" to indicate the omitted letters and their positions; (4) omitting the ending of a word and adding a symbol; and (5) replacing the entire word with a symbol. There is such a variety of methods that J.L. Walther, an 18th-century paleographer, compiled a dictionary of abbreviations. A. Chassant, A. Cappelli, A. Pelzer and other scholars have also gathered various examples of abbreviations and compiled dictionaries.

Printers of incunabula strove to reproduce medieval manuscripts as they were, and therefore, contractions and abbreviations were also printed as they were. For this reason, types of letters with symbols as well as types for non-alphabetical letters were created. The figure on the left-hand side shows the example types used for contractions and abbreviations from a set of the types used by C. Kachelofen, called "Typ. 3."

The following section shows some examples of contractions and abbreviations.

• is an abbreviation of "Quia," and is an abbreviation of "Quare."
• Usually the vowels with a line attached above such as , , , , and means that "m" or "n" is omitted after the vowel. For example, represents "amen" and "cum."
• Also the following six consonants, , , , , , and with a line attached above indicate that some letters before and/or after the consonant are abbreviated. For example, represents "augusti," "beatum," "domini" and "tempus." Particularly, often represents "pr(a)e," "quae" and "re." For example, represents "prete," "quaedam" and "res."
• is an abbreviation of "ergo," but there is also the use of to represent "grossos."
• is an abbreviation of "quo," and represents "quod."
• is an abbreviation of "dicit," but there is also the use of to represent "divinae."
• is an abbreviation of "hic," but it is also used so that represents "habet" and "philosophiae."
• is used as in to represent "talis," and used as in to represent "legitur."
• is an abbreviation of "tre," and represents "tres." When is placed at the end of a word, it becomes an abbreviation of "-ter."
• is an abbreviation of "ter," and represents "terre."
• is an abbreviation of "ut."
• is an abbreviation of "per" or "par." represents "pare" and "parumper."
• is an abbreviation of "pro." represents "probat" and "probem."
• is an abbreviation of "papa," but it is also used to represent "populo" as in .
• is an abbreviation of "propter," but it is also used to represent "prope" as in and "propheta" as in .
• is an abbreviation of "qui" or "quod." For example, represents "quoddam."
• is an abbreviation of "quam," and represents "quamvis."
• is an abbreviation of "que" and is used at the end of a word. For example, represents "quodcumque."
• is an abbreviation of "quoque."
• is an abbreviation of "et."
• is added to the end of a word to indicate that "rum" is omitted.
• is used as an abbreviation of "com" or "con" when it is placed at the beginning of a word, and as an abbreviation of "us" or "is" at the end of a word.
• is used as an abbreviation of "us" or "um" when it is placed at the end of a word.

Shown above are some examples of contractions and abbreviations chosen from a set of the type fount used by C. Kachelofen named "Typ.3." There are other forms of contractions and abbreviations also used in incunabula. For more information, see A. Cappelli's Lexicon abbreviaturarum; dizionario di abbreviature latine ed italiana (1929; 6^th ed. 1990).

Aristotle's Problematica, presented in the section "Incunabula Collection," reads as follows, if the abbreviations are filled in:

Incipiunt Propleumata Arestotelis. [O]Mnes hominess naturaliter scire desiderant scribit Arestoteles princes philozophorum primo metha= phisice cuius causa potestas redidi talis Quia omne ens na turaliter appetit summa perfectionen et similiter conatur se associare primo enti diuino et immortali inquantum potest. ut quia scientia est de perfectione intellectus humani. ergo omnes hominess na= turaliter scire desiderant. Rursus et alia ratio est. Nostra quodcumque ens naturaliter appettit bonum vt se conseruare potestas in rerum na= tura. sed quia omnis noticia scientifica est de numero bonorum ho= norabilium vt patet primo de anima. ergo naturaliter omnis homo scire desiderat Et ex consequenti omnis scientia inquantum intellectui humano est possibilis est adquirenda. Quamuis igitur quelibet scientia sit perserutanda magis tamen illaque est nobilior et communior alijs scientijs. sed quia philozophia na= turalis confert maximas delectations vt patet. quarto Ethi= corum. ergo preceteris scientia philozophica diligencius est in= quirenda Etiam propter alias causas Nam presens scientia est filiaris scientie naturali quir ipsa clarificat animan ipsa facit delec= tari in hoc seculo. vt dicit Arestoteles in libro de pomo et morte qui etiam intantum clarificat hominen vt ipsum primo enti diuino et immortali assimilari laborat. teste seneca in epistola in talia prorumpens verba Hoc mihi philozophia promittit vt sumopere me deo parem reddit Libet igitur de animalibus corpora= libus presertim de corpore humano ex pluribus artificialibus codicibus propleumata colligere Et est primum tale. Queritur quare inter omnia animalia homo habet faciem versus celsum eleuatam Respondetur multipliciter. Primo Quidam est ex voluntate ipsius creatoris et quamuis illa responsio sit vera non tamen videtur valida in propositio. quia sic facile est omnia soluere Secundo respondetur quod omnis artifex opus suum primum facit deterius. et post hoc opus suum secun= dum melius et sic deus creauit bruta animalia primo. qui= bus dedit faciez de pressam ad terram inclinatum. Et secundo

Aij