diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index e18f246..92ac092 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -188,6 +188,7 @@ Available tags are:
 - `{msg}`: the logged message,
 - `{level}`: the current log level (i.e. `Critical`, `Error`, `Warning`, `Progress`, `Note`, `Info`, `Debug` or `XDebug`),
 - `{level_letter}`: the first letter of the current log level,
+- `{level_short}`: the current log level, printed in only four letters,
 - `{file}`: the current file (absolute path),
 - `{func}`: the current function,
 - `{line}`: the current line number,
diff --git a/clutchlog/clutchlog.h b/clutchlog/clutchlog.h
index e06c075..cf98ad0 100644
--- a/clutchlog/clutchlog.h
+++ b/clutchlog/clutchlog.h
@@ -835,6 +835,16 @@ class clutchlog
                 {level::debug   ,"Debug"},
                 {level::xdebug  ,"XDebug"}
             }),
+            _level_short({
+                {level::critical, "Crit"},
+                {level::error   , "Erro"},
+                {level::warning , "Warn"},
+                {level::progress, "Prog"},
+                {level::note    , "Note"},
+                {level::info    , "Info"},
+                {level::debug   , "Dbug"},
+                {level::xdebug  , "XDbg"}
+            }),
             _level_fmt({
                 {level::critical,fmt(fmt::fg::red,     fmt::typo::underline)},
                 {level::error   ,fmt(fmt::fg::red,     fmt::typo::bold)},
@@ -881,6 +891,8 @@ class clutchlog
         const std::map<level,std::string> _level_word;
         /** Dictionary of level string to their identifier. */
         std::map<std::string,level> _word_level;
+        /** dictionary of level identifier to their 4-letters representation. */
+        std::map<level,std::string> _level_short;
         /** Dictionary of level identifier to their format. */
         std::map<level,fmt> _level_fmt;
         /** Current format of the standard output. */
@@ -1223,6 +1235,8 @@ class clutchlog
             std::string letter(1, _level_word.at(stage).at(0)); // char -> string
             row = replace(row, "\\{level_letter\\}", letter);
 
+            row = replace(row, "\\{level_short\\}", _level_short.at(stage));
+
 #if CLUTCHLOG_HAVE_UNIX_SYSINFO == 1
             row = replace(row, "\\{name\\}", name);
             row = replace(row, "\\{depth\\}", depth - _strip_calls);