Have you ever had trouble recalling the spelling of a new word or vocab term? The task becomes even more difficult if the word is foreign or complicated. I doubt there’s anyone who doesn’t mix up a chemical formula or complex equation from time to time. Whether studying biology, studying chemistry, or studying for law—facts and figures can quickly slip our mind.
Random Letters are Difficult to Remember
Strings of random letters are one of the most difficult materials to memorize. This is because letters by themselves hold little meaning in our minds. They only mean something when they form words.
Some people have a knack for spelling, and others easily retain long numbers. I’m not one of those people. Letters and digits constantly flip flop and scramble in my head.
During my school days, given adequate study time I could manage a decent grade on a spelling quiz, but as soon as the test was over, the information would quickly escape me. Luckily, I grew up during the age of spellcheck. Otherwise, I would probably still make as many spelling errors as Billy Madison in the third grade.
Science Isn’t Always Straightforward
Thanks to technology, spelling was the least of my worries during school. Molecular formulas and periodic elements became the next hurdle. I found myself in need of a spellchecker for the multitude of symbols and formulas. Au for gold and Ag for silver? What “brilliant” scientist came up with that?
Worse still were the biochemical processes, enzymes, and substrates. To this day, staring at every detail of the Krebs cycle makes my brain fizzle. Scientific names always seemed like they were chosen by throwing darts at a dartboard. In a small section of one biochemical process, dUDP turned into dUMP, which then turned into dTMP with the help of thymidylate synthase and methylene THF. Yikes.
Our Brains Think in Pictures
This type of information can be difficult to retain because we don’t naturally think in letters and words. We think in pictures. When your friend yammers on about her recent vacation, you imagine the palm trees and surf, not the actual words and letters coming out of her mouth.
For more information on the advantages of imagery, check out Top Study Tips for Improving Memory.
Since we already think in pictures, it serves to our advantage to study in the same manner. Any learner can significantly enhance their ability to retain information by turning the material into pictures and then linking the pictures together.
Turn the Alphabet Into Pictures
How do we turn the alphabet into pictures? There are three common methods: by association, by phonetics, and by shape. I use a combination of all three and create multiple lists and options for each letter. This is to avoid confusion when letters repeat. Let’s look in more detail at the different methods.
Method # 1: Association
Assigning pictures to the alphabet based on association is probably the easiest method. Jot down the first noun that comes to mind for each letter. An A could be an apple, alligator, or the actor Alfie Allen from Game of Thrones. The letter list examples that follow are meant to stir your creative juices, but the visuals that you create yourself will ultimately be the strongest.
Method #2: Phonetics
This list focuses on letter sounds. Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the sound of each letter. The letter A could represent an alien or Ace Ventura. B quickly morphs into a bee, bean, beet, or beach.
Method #3: Shape
Our final method looks at the shape of each letter. What do the outlines of the upper- and lowercases look like? Uppercase B resembles a bra. Lowercase b looks like a golf club. C reminds me of a crescent moon or a boomerang. Like the way people interpret clouds in the sky differently, different eyes often see vastly different shapes.
Feel free to use my examples, but again, pictures that you create yourself will always be the strongest.
Link the Pictures Together
Create images of the letters you need to memorize and then link the images together. Try to create an action chain of events that links every letter in order. Action chains are a series of events or circumstances that connect all the images together, and they are extremely important in boosting memory recall.
For more information on action chains, check out How to Supercharge Your Memory in Seconds.
Example: Studying for Chemistry
Turning your schoolwork into pictures can work wonders for everything from spelling to chemistry. You can remember that nitrous oxide (laughing gas) is N20 by picturing a laughing knight riding on an ox (nitrous oxide). The knight’s ox munches on a huge doughnut (O), trying to free two hens (N2) trapped in the donut hole.
Store the Picture Reminders Inside a Memory File
After you've created a solid action chain, simply drop it into a Memory File for safekeeping. Memory Files are memories of locations that we’ve visited in the past—like houses, buildings, or parks. We can store action chains inside these old memories. This way, we’ll know exactly where we placed the information come test time.
For more details on making a Memory File, check out 4 Simple Steps to Remember Anything.
Strings of letters are boring and difficult to memorize. The next time you find yourself struggling to learn, do yourself a favor and picture the alphabet.
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