A Mnemonic Device is a memory serving aid typically used to remember a list of items or elements.
Acronyms, acrostics and lyrical rhymes are some of the most common types of mnemonics, that can help us commit information to not just our short term memory, but our long term memory as well.
It is helpful to use them in situations where it is easier to remember the rhyme or acronym, than it is to remember the information they are intended to convey.
Repetition and Association memory techniques are typically used to remember these memory aids, and to associate the actual information to them.
ACRONYMS
Seven Colors of Rainbow
Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet
ROY G BIV or in reverse, VIBGYOR
Five Great Lakes
Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior
HOMES
How to Shoot a Rifle
Breath, Relax, Aim, Sight, Squeeze
BRASS
Niagara Falls Location
(Left) – Erie – Niagara – Ontario – (Right)
LENOR
Seven Deadly Sins
Wrath, Avarice, Gluttony, Envy, Sloth, Pride, Lust
WAGES (PL.)
ACROSTICS
Eight Planets
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
My Very Earnest Mother Just Served Us Nachos
Seven Continents
Europe, Antarctica, Asia, Africa, Australia, N.America, S.America
Eat An Aspirin After A Naff Sandwich
Order of Mathematical Calculation
Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplications, Divisions, Additions, Subtractions
Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally!
Twelve Sun Signs
Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces
A Tense Grey Cat Lay Very Low, Sneaking Slowly, Contemplating A Pounce
LYRICAL RHYMES
Days of the Month
Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November;
All the rest have thirty-one
Excepting February alone:
Which hath but twenty-eight, in fine,
Till leap year gives it twenty-nine.
Spellings involving letters i and e
I before E except after C,
and when sounding like “ay” as in Neighbor or Weigh
and “Weird” is just weird
Size of Elephants in India vs Africa
India’s big, but Africa’s bigger,
The same as their elephants – easy to figure!
Treatment for Bee Sting vs Wasp Sting
Use Ammonia for a Bee sting,
and Vinegar for a Wasp sting
More such mnemonic devices will be added, so keep checking back.
