Take a look at this number (0824261490), can you believe that by the time you finish this article you will be able to memorize this 10 digits number easily as one image? You will also be able to use the same techniques to memorize other large or small numbers. The good thing is that once you use the following techniques the numbers stick in your mind better and therefore they're not easy to forget. These memory techniques called also Consonant System Mnemonic can be useful to memorize a social security number, phone numbers and even credit card numbers so that you don't have to run to your wallet to make an online purchase.

Here is the technique that is used by many people and considered to be a good method when dealing with numbers. Now imagine that all numbers are represented by consonants of the alphabet. Here is an example, the number 3215 could be equal to the word "mental", here is why:

·         0: s,z, c (soft)* (zero starts with z, and s sounds the closest to z).

·         1: t,d, th (t looks a little bit like 1, d and th sound very close to t).

·         2: n (2 looks like N on its side).

·         3: m (3 looks like m on its side).

·         4: r ("four" ends with r).

·         5: l (in Roman numerals, L = 50).

·         6: j,ch,sh, g (soft) (6 titled 180 degrees looks like g, sh ch, j, g (soft)* sound the same).

·         7: k,c (hard)** ,g (hard), q (K can be drawn with two 7's, c and g (hard)** sound like k).

·         8: f,v,ph (handwritten F looks like an 8, v and ph sound like f).

·         9: p,b (P reversed looks like a 9, b sounds like p).

* c soft = sounds like cinema, acid ...

** c hard = sounds like cold, computer ...

* g soft = sounds like gym, George ...

** g hard = sounds like game, golf ...

 

Now you may say, well if 3= M, 2= N, 1= T and 5= L, where did the "e" and "a" of "mental" come from? The vowels are not equal to any number, they just help you make up words that you can remember the most, 3215 can also be equal to "main delay". (a, e, i, h, o, u, w, y) are ignored when deciphering the word, for example "main delay" contains the following consonants "M+N+D+L" and that's all what you need to get the number 3215. Now following these techniques you can convert longer numbers into words and therefore to something visual you can think and store in your mind which is retrievable more easily. (Continued below...)

Now you may say, well if 3= M, 2= N, 1= T and 5= L, where did the "e" and "a" of "mental" come from? The vowels are not equal to any number, they just help you make up words that you can remember the most, 3215 can also be equal to "main delay". (a, e, i, h, o, u, w, y) are ignored when deciphering the word, for example "main delay" contains the following consonants "M+N+D+L" and that's all what you need to get the number 3215. Now following these techniques you can convert longer numbers into words and therefore to something visual you can think and store in your mind which is retrievable more easily.

 

A random phone number of 10 digits such as 0824261490 could be equal to the phrase "seven orange traps", the number is converted to words now, however we need to minimize the effort of memorization as much as possible, so the next step is to imagine a 7 orange traps sitting placed in a corner of your house, well not in your house, maybe in your front yard waiting for some mice. Now instead of a 10 digit number, you got an image, ONE IMAGE.

 

   Seven Orange Traps

We tend to do better when storing a piece of information as an image or symbol. Even when learning a new language it's easier to remember a word when thinking of it as an image. Same thing applies to numbers, so instead of remember a long number of 10 digits, you could simply think of 7 orange traps. Another equivalent to the same number "0824261490"  is "save on ranch trips", think of a travel brochure/ flyer with a big red font on it "SAVE ON RANCH TRIPS", from which you can get good deals and save money when you plan trips to a ranch. These techniques just need some practice and creativity. Apart from trying to make it easy to remember a large number, these tips also give you a chance to use your imagination to come up with the best set of names that best describe the number you're trying to remember, which is in itself a fun game, once you get used to these steps, you will be able to perform it faster, and come up with an equivalent quickly.

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Note that although these techniques make the memorization process easier, you should still make an effort to memorize them well, the point here is that instead of remembering a 10 digit number (with no logical sequence) it would be helpful to convert it to an image or an idea ... with less to remember "seven orange traps" is an equivalent of three things to remember instead of 10, but you still need to remember those 3 words.

 

Note that a word such as Tall, is considered as Tal and therefore equivalent to 15, and not 155, because the word is pronounced just like "tal", the same thing goes with apples = pls, the pp = p, therefore apples = 950. If you have any question you can contact us with your questions or comments.

 

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