diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/CHANGELOG.md b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/CHANGELOG.md
index 71ed5de78d..1a82efaf17 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ CHANGELOG
  * added support for events in `Application`
  * added a way to normalize EOLs in `ApplicationTester::getDisplay()` and `CommandTester::getDisplay()`
  * added a way to set the progress bar progress via the `setCurrent` method
+ * added support for multiple InputOption shortcuts, written as `'-a|-b|-c'`
 
 2.2.0
 -----
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Descriptor/XmlDescriptor.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Descriptor/XmlDescriptor.php
index 5e1f93f4fc..c828a9ceb8 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Descriptor/XmlDescriptor.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Descriptor/XmlDescriptor.php
@@ -57,7 +57,13 @@ class XmlDescriptor extends Descriptor
 
         $dom->appendChild($objectXML = $dom->createElement('option'));
         $objectXML->setAttribute('name', '--'.$option->getName());
-        $objectXML->setAttribute('shortcut', $option->getShortcut() ? '-'.$option->getShortcut() : '');
+        $pos = strpos($option->getShortcut(), '|');
+        if (false !== $pos) {
+            $objectXML->setAttribute('shortcut', '-'.substr($option->getShortcut(), 0, $pos));
+            $objectXML->setAttribute('shortcuts', '-'.implode('|-', explode('|', $option->getShortcut())));
+        } else {
+            $objectXML->setAttribute('shortcut', $option->getShortcut() ? '-'.$option->getShortcut() : '');
+        }
         $objectXML->setAttribute('accept_value', $option->acceptValue() ? 1 : 0);
         $objectXML->setAttribute('is_value_required', $option->isValueRequired() ? 1 : 0);
         $objectXML->setAttribute('is_multiple', $option->isArray() ? 1 : 0);
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Input/InputDefinition.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Input/InputDefinition.php
index 204d293cd0..a18da2b2f3 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Input/InputDefinition.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Input/InputDefinition.php
@@ -266,13 +266,21 @@ class InputDefinition
     {
         if (isset($this->options[$option->getName()]) && !$option->equals($this->options[$option->getName()])) {
             throw new \LogicException(sprintf('An option named "%s" already exists.', $option->getName()));
-        } elseif (isset($this->shortcuts[$option->getShortcut()]) && !$option->equals($this->options[$this->shortcuts[$option->getShortcut()]])) {
-            throw new \LogicException(sprintf('An option with shortcut "%s" already exists.', $option->getShortcut()));
+        }
+
+        if ($option->getShortcut()) {
+            foreach (explode('|', $option->getShortcut()) as $shortcut) {
+                if (isset($this->shortcuts[$shortcut]) && !$option->equals($this->options[$this->shortcuts[$shortcut]])) {
+                    throw new \LogicException(sprintf('An option with shortcut "%s" already exists.', $shortcut));
+                }
+            }
         }
 
         $this->options[$option->getName()] = $option;
         if ($option->getShortcut()) {
-            $this->shortcuts[$option->getShortcut()] = $option->getName();
+            foreach (explode('|', $option->getShortcut()) as $shortcut) {
+                $this->shortcuts[$shortcut] = $option->getName();
+            }
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Input/InputOption.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Input/InputOption.php
index 70f491897c..75fc46ed85 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Input/InputOption.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Input/InputOption.php
@@ -59,9 +59,9 @@ class InputOption
         }
 
         if (null !== $shortcut) {
-            if ('-' === $shortcut[0]) {
-                $shortcut = substr($shortcut, 1);
-            }
+            $shortcuts = preg_split('{(\|)-?}', ltrim($shortcut, '-'));
+            $shortcuts = array_filter($shortcuts);
+            $shortcut = implode('|', $shortcuts);
 
             if (empty($shortcut)) {
                 throw new \InvalidArgumentException('An option shortcut cannot be empty.');
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Input/InputDefinitionTest.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Input/InputDefinitionTest.php
index 76316bd863..5cf5011774 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Input/InputDefinitionTest.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Input/InputDefinitionTest.php
@@ -308,6 +308,15 @@ class InputDefinitionTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
         $this->assertEquals($this->foo, $definition->getOptionForShortcut('f'), '->getOptionForShortcut() returns a InputOption by its shortcut');
     }
 
+    public function testGetOptionForMultiShortcut()
+    {
+        $this->initializeOptions();
+
+        $definition = new InputDefinition(array($this->multi));
+        $this->assertEquals($this->multi, $definition->getOptionForShortcut('m'), '->getOptionForShortcut() returns a InputOption by its shortcut');
+        $this->assertEquals($this->multi, $definition->getOptionForShortcut('mmm'), '->getOptionForShortcut() returns a InputOption by its shortcut');
+    }
+
     /**
      * @expectedException        \InvalidArgumentException
      * @expectedExceptionMessage The "-l" option does not exist.
@@ -406,5 +415,6 @@ class InputDefinitionTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
         $this->bar = new InputOption('bar', 'b');
         $this->foo1 = new InputOption('fooBis', 'f');
         $this->foo2 = new InputOption('foo', 'p');
+        $this->multi = new InputOption('multi', 'm|mm|mmm');
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Input/InputOptionTest.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Input/InputOptionTest.php
index b50c090484..fc291bc197 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Input/InputOptionTest.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Input/InputOptionTest.php
@@ -36,8 +36,10 @@ class InputOptionTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
     {
         $option = new InputOption('foo', 'f');
         $this->assertEquals('f', $option->getShortcut(), '__construct() can take a shortcut as its second argument');
-        $option = new InputOption('foo', '-f');
-        $this->assertEquals('f', $option->getShortcut(), '__construct() removes the leading - of the shortcut');
+        $option = new InputOption('foo', '-f|-ff|fff');
+        $this->assertEquals('f|ff|fff', $option->getShortcut(), '__construct() removes the leading - of the shortcuts');
+        $option = new InputOption('foo', 'f|ff|-fff');
+        $this->assertEquals('f|ff|fff', $option->getShortcut(), '__construct() removes the leading - of the shortcuts');
         $option = new InputOption('foo');
         $this->assertNull($option->getShortcut(), '__construct() makes the shortcut null by default');
     }