THE PEG SYSTEM
Mnemonic Device
The Peg memory systems are ideal for remembering information that must be recalled in a particular
order. Like all memory systems, the Peg systems improve your memory by creating a filing cabinet in
your mind.
They work by associating information you already know well (the numbers 1 through 20, and the letters
A through Z) with the new facts you want to remember. A "peg" is just a mental hook on which you
hang the information. This hook acts as a reminder to help you mentally retrieve information.
Let's look at the number from 1 to 10 first. If you could associate a piece of information with the
number "5", then simply thinking of "5" would give you back that fact. In other words, because you will
never forget how to count from 1 to 10, associating information with those numbers creates a mental
filing system for the information.
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Peg systems remind you of what you are supposed to remember. Like the Loci system, the Peg
systems provide a big advantage over free recall (rote memorization). The pegs continually
remind you of all the things you are supposed to remember.
Peg systems allow direct retrieval of items. The other systems like Link and Loci tie information
together effectively, but cannot be used to recall a particular item directly.With these systems,
you must mentally run through the entire link to get to the item you want. With numerical pegs,
though, you can immediately say, "Number 5 is the Trigeminal Nerve" or "The Trigeminal Nerve is
number 5."
The Pegs can be used over and over. An incredible truth about your brain is that it can
distinguish between the same numerical list (i.e., the same pegs) being used multiple times for
different information. For example, one research study on memory systems showed that normal
people were able to memorize six different lists of items at the same time using the same pegs.
You can use several types of pegs together to create flexibility. There are Peg systems that use
among other things number rhymes, number shapes, and the alphabet. You can vary your use
of the different Peg systems to help decrease interference between the information you want
to remember.
Pegs can be combined with the Loci or Link systems. Combining Peg systems with other
memory systems allows you to memorize huge amounts of information. As one example, you
could combine the Alphabet Peg system with the Link system to accurately memorize up to
260 items of information (by attaching a 10-sequence memory link to the key image of each
letter of the alphabet).
How Peg Systems Work
You will never forget how to count from 1 to 20 or how to say your ABC's. But the problem with
mentally attaching the information you want to remember to numbers or letters is that numbers and
letters are abstract (hard to visualize). The Peg systems solve this problem by making abstract numbers
and letters concrete.
For example, with the rhyming Peg words, you first remember a concrete object whose name rhymes
with the number (you will see this is very easy to do). For instance: one-bun, two-shoe, three-tree.
Then, to memorize a list, you visually associate each item of information with the number image (e.g.,
bun, shoe, tree). To recall the list, you simply run through the numbers in your mind.
Number-Rhyme Pegs
The Number-Rhyme Peg system is perhaps the easiest peg memory system to learn. For each of the
numbers from 1 to 10 (and even up to 20, really), you associate with each number a word that rhymes
with that number. Most people find this very easy to do.
Here is a widely used version of the number-rhyme list. Go ahead and memorize these right now (just
repeat without looking until you remember them, then practice periodically).
1. One-Bun
6. Six-Sticks
2. Two-Shoe
7. Seven-Heaven
3. Three-Tree
8. Eight-Gate
4. Four-Door
9. Nine-Wine
5. Five-Hive
10. Ten-Hen
Now really tap into your visual memory, and make each of these listed items very clear in your mind.
For example, what kind of bun? Picture it vividly. What type of shoe? A man's dress shoe, for instance?
Go through each of the ten items in this way until each is very clearly pictured in your mind. Making
the mental images clear and detailed will greatly improve your recall of information later.
Using the Number-Rhyme Pegs. The simplest use of the Number-Rhyme Pegs is to memorize a straight
list of ten objects. However, this system can be used to memorize much more, including lists of sayings,
concepts, technical terms, definitions, vocabulary, steps in a procedure, and so on.
Here's a simple example to show you how this works.
Suppose one day you are visiting your grandmother and she decides to tell you her secret recipe for
baking a delicious blueberry pie. The problem is, you don't have a pen or paper with you, so if you
want to remember the ingredients you will have to rely on your memory. She tells you that the
ingredients for the pie are blueberries, lemon juice, flour, sugar, cinnamon, butter, eggs, milk (a total of
eight items). You decide to use the Number-Rhyme Peg Method to remember these until you have
time to write them down later. Keep in mind that creating the following associations happens very
quickly once you have practiced this memory system a few times.
Begin by associating the first ingredient (blueberries) with the first rhyming peg word (bun). For
example, picture clearly in your mind thousands of hamburger buns raining down on the heads of a
group of bright blue bears. Now move on to each of the rest of the ingredients and do the same thing.
... Associate the second ingredient (lemon juice) with the second rhyming peg word (shoe). For
example, imagine a yellow dress shoe full of lemons, and you squishing your foot into the lemons to get
the shoe on, turning the lemons into lemon juice.
... Associate the third ingredient (flour) with the third rhyming word (tree). For example, imagine a
brightly colored tree whose trunk and leaves are becoming completely covered and overgrown with
your favorite type of flower.
... Associate the fourth ingredient (sugar) with the fourth rhyming word (door). For example, imagine a
solid brown wooden door slamming shut on a white porcelain sugar bowl, splashing the granulated
sugar all over your nice clean carpet.
... Associate the fifth ingredient (cinnamon) with the fifth rhyming word (hive). For example, imagine a
swarm of bees stinging your male friend who is sinning - sin a man. (If you think gambling is a sin, for
instance, imagine him rolling dice or playing cards.)
Now you try. Think of associations for the rest of the ingredients, sticks-butter, heaven-eggs, and gatemilk.
Once you have your list of associations, then review them quickly after 1 minute, 5 minutes, and 20
minutes. This will really help lock the images and the list of items in your mind. For long-term mental
storage, review the list again after 2 hours, then once a day for the next 3 days. Then once a month
after that, depending on how well it seems your mind is retaining the information (which varies a little
from person to person).
If you really worked through this example, you be a bit amazed at how well you can recall this list of
eight items. Try this now: ask yourself, what is item #7? What is item #2? What is item #5? You should be
able to instantly remember and say the ingredient. Again, memory management is a skill, and the
more your practice the memory systems the easier they will seem and the better results you will get
with your memory.
Rhymes from 11 to 20. The following ate two rhyming words for each of the numbers 11 through 20.
These are used the same way as the rhyming pegs from 1 through 10:
11. Leaven, Football 11
16. Sistine, Licking
12. Shelf, Elf
17. Leavening, Deafening
13. Thirsting, Hurting
18. Aiding, Waiting
14. Fording, Courting
19. Knighting, Pining
15. Fitting, Lifting
20. Plenty, Penny
Alternately, you can mix Number-Rhyme with Number-Shape (see below) for 11 to 20. For instance,
you could use the rhyming pegwords for 1 through 10 and use the single-digit shape pegwords for 11
to 20. In othe words, 11-Pencil, 12-Swan, 13-Pitchfork, and so on (ignoring the "1" in the tens place).
Number-Shape Pegs
The Number-Shape peg system is similar to the Number-Rhyme system, except that instead of using
words that rhyme with the numbers as the pegs, you use the actual shape of the numbers as pegs. This
is kind of cool if you haven't seen it before and very visual.
These following is one list of shape equivalents for the numbers 1 through 10. To create variety, you can
of course make up your own (try using these first though to get used to the concept).
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Pencil
Swan (curved neck)
Love Heart (top of)
Yacht Sail
Sea Horse (facing right)
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Golf Club
Cliff Edge
Hourglass
Balloon on Stick
Fork and Plate
So to associate an item of information with a number-shape, associate the shape with the information.
For example, to associate a word such as "tomato" to position number two in the list, associate swan
with tomato. Imagine perhaps a swan bouncing a bright red tomato up and down on its beak. Then,
when you think of "two", it reminds you of "swan" which reminds you of tomato.
Like with the other systems, the complexity of the information that can be associated with a number
can be much greater than simply a tomato of other physical objecet. Using substitute words, for
instance, even abstract concepts can be associated with the items in a list.
Alphabet Pegs
The Alphabet peg system is a bit different from the Number-Rhyme and Number-Shape pegs but
equally as easy to learn. Once again, you already know the alphabet, so with a little modification you
can use it as yet another type of mental filing system.
There are two ways to use Alphabet pegs - based on sound-alikes, and based on concrete meaning.
Sound Alikes. The sound-alike Alphabet pet words rhyme with the letter they are associated with. The
easiest way to illustrate this is to give you the list of rhyme words.
 A - Hay
 J - Jay
 S - Sass
 B - Bee
 K - Key
 T - Tea
 C - See
 L - El
 U - Ewe
 D - Deed
 M - Hem
 V - Veal
 E - Eve
 N - Hen
 W - Double You
 F - Effort
 O - Hoe
 X - Ax
 G - Jeep
 P - Pea
 Y - Wire
 Z - Zebra
 H - Age
 Q - Cue
 I - Eye
 R - Oar
So to memorize a list of up to 26 items, you would create a mental image of "hay" interacting with the
first item, a "bee" stinging the second item, and so on.
Concrete Alphas. Concrete words can also be used for alphabet pegs. The following is a list of pegs
you could use.
 A - Ape
 J - Jack
 S - Sock
 B - Boy
 K - Kite
 T - Toy
 C - Cat
 L - Log
 U - Umbrella
 D - Dog
 M - Man
 V - Vane
 E - Egg
 N - Nut
 W - Wig
 F - Fig
 O - Owl
 X - X-Ray
 G - Goat
 P - Pig
 Y - Yak
 Z - Zoo
 H - Hat
 Q - Quill
 I - Ice
 R - Rock
Again, like with all memory systems, the Alphabet peg system is a skill, just like riding a bicycle. The first
time you rode a bike you probably fell off, and that is normal. Now riding a bike is second nature and
you don't even have to think about it. The same is true here - practice using the pegs, and they too will
become second nature, just another feature of your exceptional memory!