Mnemonics are devices to aid memory, such as rhymes, acronyms, associations, and phrases. They help recall frequently used information and jog memory for less frequent situations. The key is to choose a type that works well for the individual.
A mnemonic is a device to aid memory. Sometimes called a mnemonic device, it memorably captures information to help a person remember something important. Students often use them to quickly recall information that is frequently used and needs to be at hand, but they are also used to help jog memory for less frequently used information, such as to recall symptoms or procedures for infrequently encountered situations . People can also use one to remember things on a single occasion, like a shopping list.
The type of storage device you use matters because different people find different types of information easier to remember. Some people find that a rhyme sticks more easily in the mind, while others find that an association that they make themselves is the best strategy. Other people use whatever has already been created for the particular piece of information they are trying to remember. The key is for individuals to choose a type of mnemonic that works well for them.
Some of the main types are rhymes, acronyms, associations and phrases. Some mnemonics, including many used for spelling, take the form of short rhymes. It helps a person remember the order of the letters i and e in a word: I before e, except after co when it sounds like “a” like near or weigh.
Another helps with spelling words with vowel digraphs where the pronunciation matches the sound of one of the vowels, as in the word beat or the word main: when two vowels walk, the first speaks.
Another type is formed as an acronym with each letter or number carrying a reminder of some specific information. The ABCDEs for a mole to determine if it might be cancerous are one example:
AsymmetryEdgesColorDiameterElevation
In a number mnemonic, each number has a rhyming word and the information a person wants to remember is associated with the rhyme. Words are referred to as “peg words” because the items to remember are “anchored” to them. A popular system is set up like this:
sun shoetreedoorhivesticksheavengatevinepen
A mnemonic phrase carries information in every word, one way or another. Some examples focus on the number of letters in each word. This is true in uncredited rhyme: Lord, I send a rhyme that excels In sacred truth and strict spelling Number sprites clarify For me the obtuse weight of lexicon.
In this rhyme, the number of letters in the carefully ordered sequence of words gives the first 20 digits of the value of pi.
In other examples, the focus is on the first letter of each word, which is often a reminder of order, as in “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally,” which reminds people of the order of operations to solve a math problem: parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction.
Another popular, though outdated, example given Pluto’s demotion from planetary status is “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas” to help remember the order of planets from the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.
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