A mnemonic, pronounced nee-mon-ik, strategy is a procedure used to enhance memory. Mnemonics help store the information better, so that it will be easier to remember that information when you want.
You probably already know some mnemonics…
- FACE is a way to remember the musical notes in the spaces of the treble clef
- ABCDE is a way to remember the problem solving strategy: Aim, Brainstorm, Choose, Do It, Evaluate
Letter Mnemonics
Like Roy G. Biv, FACE, and ABCDE, letter strategies use letters to prompt you to remember a long list of things that is difficult to remember on its own.
Use the first letters of the list to create a new word you can remember. If the first letters don’t make a word, make a new sentence you can remember.
If you want to remember all of the planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto), the letters would be M-V-E-M-J-S-U-N-P. This doesn’t make a word, so instead you can make a sentence with words beginning with the letters: My very educated mother just served us nine pizzas.
Letter mnemonics work best if the word or phrase is something you are familiar with. They also work best if YOU come up with the mnemonic on your own!