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While it's been a long long time since I've used it, I think that was not the case for TRS-80 Level I BASIC -- it didn't tokenize, so shorthand saved actual memory. And not using spaces saved bytes. Apropos of the conversation on variables, Level I BASIC only allowed one-character variable names: you had 26 integer variables named A-Z, two (yes, two) string variables, A$ and B$, and only one array variable, A().

It also had only three error messages: "WHAT?" (any syntax-related problem), "HOW?" (any execution error that wasn't syntax-related, like division by zero), and "SORRY" (out of memory).

? was still handy because on the C64 there was a 2 screen line max when entering a program line. So you could get a longer line in by using

10 ?"hello whatever..."

which would be expanded to

10 PRINT "hello whatever..."

Line numbers counted too, IIRC, so it was more important when you had 4 and 5 digit line numbers.

But it's been 25 years since I did any commodore basic - my memory might be a bit wrong on this...

C64 wasn't the only basic. GW-BASIC on the Oric-1/Atmos machines, for example, did save a byte if you used ? instead of PRINT.