A code that can be remembered comparatively easily and that aids its user in recalling the information it represents. Mnemonic codes are widely used in computer programming and communications system operations to specify instructions.

A mnemonic (/nəˈmɒnɪk/, the first “m” is not pronounced) device, or memory device, is any learning technique that aids information retention or retrieval (remembering) in the human memory. Both of these words are derived from μνήμη (mnēmē), ‘remembrance, memory’.

Examples of Spelling Mnemonics

• ARITHMETIC: A rat in the house may eat the ice cream.
• BECAUSE: Big elephants can always understand small elephants.
• DOES: Daddy only eats sandwiches.
• FRIEND: Fred rushed in eating nine doughnuts.
• GEOGRAPHY: George’s elderly old grandfather rode a pig home yesterday.

There are a few different types of mnemonic devices:

• Imagery and Visualization. Our brains remember images much more easily than words or sounds, so translating things you want to remember into mental images can be a great mnemonic device.
• Acronyms and Acrostics.
• Rhymes.
• Chunking.

The 9 basic types of mnemonics presented in this handout include Music, Name, Expression/Word, Model, Ode/Rhyme, Note Organization, Image, Connection, and Spelling Mnemonics.

What is another word for mnemonic?

While acronyms are made up of the first letters of all the words in sequential order, mnemonics are in the form of rhyming words or fake names. Acronyms can most usually be pronounced as a different word, while mnemonic can’t be. Mnemonics are used to memorize anything.

The word mnemonic derives from Greek mnēmōn (“mindful”), which itself comes from the Greek word meaning “to remember.” (In classical mythology, Mnemosyne, the mother of the Muses, is the goddess of memory.)

Here’s how:

1. Take the first letter or a key word of the item to remember and write it down.
2. Repeat for all items.
3. Create a sentence.
4. Write the sentence out a few times while saying the words that the acronym refers to.
5. Practice reciting the items and the created sentence together until you’ve got it memorized!

Here are a few of the most common mnemonic devices:

• Memory Palaces. The Memory Palace is the most powerful mnemonic device ever formulated.
• Spaced Repetition.
• Use Chunking to Remember.
• Expression Mnemonics or Acronyms.
• Remembering Numbers with The Major System.
• Using the NAME Acronym to Remember Things.

The First-letter mnemonic, as its name suggests, is a memory strategy in which the initial letters of words in a sentence Opens in new window are used to recall information in a particular order.

The overall effectiveness of mnemonic techniques was found to be associated with an overall mean standardized “effect size” of 1.62, indicating an unusually large effect for treatment and replicating closely a research synthesis reported in the literature in the 1980s.

Mnemonics serve an important role in memory, but they have limitations and should be used sparingly. If you use mnemonics too extensively, they become cumbersome and can add confusion to your learning process. If you do not study the mnemonics accurately, they hinder rather than help you recall information accurately.

A mnemonic is an instructional strategy designed to help students improve their memory of important information. This technique connects new learning to prior knowledge through the use of visual and/or acoustic cues. The basic types of mnemonic strategies rely on the use of key words, rhyming words, or acronyms.

They help organize the information so that you can more easily retrieve it later. By giving you associations and cues, mnemonics allow you to cross-reference the information in different parts of your memory. This mental structure is very useful for material that has very little inherent organization.

Many people use mnemonic techniques to help them improve their memory. These techniques can help them remember how to spell difficult words, recall a new colleague’s name and memorize information.

A mnemonic technique is one of many memory aids that is used to create associations among facts that make it easier to remember these facts. Thus simpler memories can be stored more efficiently. For example, a number can be remembered as a picture. This makes it easier to retrieve it from memory.

14 Natural Ways to Improve Your Memory

1. Eat Less Added Sugar. Eating too much added sugar has been linked to many health issues and chronic diseases, including cognitive decline.
2. Try a Fish Oil Supplement.
3. Make Time for Meditation.
4. Maintain a Healthy Weight.
5. Get Enough Sleep.
6. Practice Mindfulness.
7. Drink Less Alcohol.
8. Train Your Brain.

Reading isn’t just a way to cram facts into your brain. It’s a way to rewire how your brain works in general. It strengthens your ability to imagine alternative paths, remember details, picture detailed scenes, and think through complex problems.

By adding to that storehouse, reading increases your crystallised intelligence. In fact, the increased emphasis on critical reading and writing skills in schools may partly explain why students perform, on average, about 20 points higher on IQ tests than in the early 20th century.

As reading skills improve with intensive instruction, brain activity increases in key areas in the left side of the brain. Intensive reading instruction also leads to changes in the right side of the brain. The changes in the right side of the brain may help make up for weaknesses on the left.

According to new research from Oxford University Press, reading “challenging language” sends “rocket boosters” to our brains, which in turn boosts our mental health. Classics from William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens were proven to help relieve depression and chronic pain, according to Stylist.