Rhyming Peg System

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The Rhyming Peg Mnemonic System

Is a technique for remembering lists

That matches each item with a word that rhymes with

a number

Creating memorable associations of items &

numbers

Which improve your recall of the items

Creating the Rhyming Pegs
Typical words used for 1 to 10.

1. Gun, Bun, Sun, Nun

2. Shoe, Zoo
3. Tree, Bee, Key
4. Door, Gore, Sore
5. Hive, Knives
6. Sticks, Chicks, Fix
7. Heaven
8. Gate, Weight, Bait, Plate
9. Wine, Brine
10. Pen, Hen
Using the Rhyming Peg Mnemonic System
1) Create a set of rhyming
words or phrases that
correspond to the numbers 1
to 10. For example, 'one' could
be associated with 'sun', 'two'
with 'shoe'.
2) Visualize each item on your 3) Practice the list recalling the
list associated with one of the images mentally to strengthen
rhyming words or phrases. recall (testing effect) and using
spaced repetition.
For a list of groceries, you
could imagine a sun shining
on a loaf of bread for 'one',
and a shoe stepping on a
carton of milk for 'two'.

By creating these vivid and memorable associations, you can more easily recall the items on your list by
mentally going through the rhyming pegs.

This technique can be especially useful when you need to remember items in a specific order.
Example: Memorizing the Eight Terrain Features
There are eight terrain features that are important to be able to recognize on a topographical map.

1. Begin riding, over a hill of buns

The first five are the major features, and 2. Behind a ridge of shoes
the last three are the minor features. 3. Into a valley of trees
4. On saddles covered in gore
The five major terrain features are: Hill,
5. Into a hive in a deep depression (pun intended)
Ridge, Valley, Saddle, and Depression.
6. Drawing a map with sticks
The three minor terrain features are: Draw, 7. Spurring the horses towards heaven
Spur, and Cliff. 8. Through a gate & over a cliff (the end)
Beyond Rhymes
Other Ways to Create Pegs
● Shapes of the numbers (shape system)
● Use a word for each letter of the alphabet
● Link sounds with numbers to make words
out of them (the major system).
● Visualizing fence posts/markers along a path
Tips for Improving Recall
● 1. Imagine the imagery as vividly as
possible.
● 2. Link items to the next peg in a story or
sequence.
● 3. Create a story or narrative to help
remember the items on each peg.
● 4. Make the actors and actions in the story
as memorable as possible (funny, obscene,
bizarre).
Sources
Army, H. D. O. (2020, October 11). TC 3-25.26 Map Reading and Land Navigation.
https://armypubs.army.mil/ProductMaps/PubForm/Details.aspx?PUB_ID=103749

Army Study Guide. "Identify Terrain Features On A Map".

https://www.armystudyguide.com/content/Prep_For_Basic_Training/prep_for_basic_common_tasks/identify-terrain-features.s
html

Mnemonic major system. (2024, January 11). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mnemonic_major_system

Mnemonic peg system. (2024, January 3). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mnemonic_peg_system

Foer, J. (2011, April 7). Moonwalking with Einstein. Penguin UK. https://joshuafoer.com/moonwalking-with-einstein/

Memory, A. O. (2023, February 24). How to Use the Number Shape System. Art of Memory.
https://artofmemory.com/blog/number-shape-system/

Spaced repetition. (2024, February 9). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaced_repetition

Testing effect. (2024, February 13). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testing_effect

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