Real-world examples of mnemonics for retention (that you’ll remember)

Start with real examples of mnemonics for retention

Let’s skip the theory and jump straight into real examples of mnemonics for retention that people actually use for studying.

Think about these situations:

• You’re memorizing the order of operations in math.
• You’re trying to remember the bones in the wrist for an anatomy exam.
• You keep mixing up the Great Lakes on a geography quiz.

All of those can be turned into something your brain loves: a short phrase, a vivid image, or a funny story. Here are some of the best examples students use all the time:

• PEMDAS → “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally” for math order of operations.
• HOMES for the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior.
• ROY G. BIV for the colors of the visible light spectrum.
• “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles” for the planets.
• “OIL RIG” for chemistry: Oxidation Is Loss, Reduction Is Gain.
• “On Old Olympus’ Towering Tops…” for cranial nerves in anatomy.

These examples of mnemonics for retention work because they turn dry, abstract information into something your brain can picture, hear, or laugh at.

Classic classroom examples of mnemonics for retention

Some of the best examples of mnemonics for retention are the ones teachers have been using for decades because they just keep working.

Acronym mnemonics: Shrinking big lists into short words

Acronyms are where you take the first letter of each item and turn them into a word you can say out loud.

Some classic examples include:

• HOMES – Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior.
• ROY G. BIV – Colors of the spectrum: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet.
• FANBOYS – Coordinating conjunctions in English: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So.
• OCEAN – Big Five personality traits: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism.

A powerful example of customizing this: a nursing student might memorize vital signs ranges by creating their own acronym from the first letters of each parameter and normal range (for instance, building a fake “name” from Temperature, Pulse, Respiration, Blood Pressure).

Research from cognitive psychology shows that grouping items into meaningful chunks is one of the most reliable ways to improve retention. The National Institutes of Health has discussed chunking and working memory in multiple publications (for example, see NIH’s overview of learning and memory). Acronyms are just chunking with style.

Acrostic phrases: Turning lists into sentences

Acrostics are similar to acronyms, but instead of forming a single word, you create a sentence where each word starts with the right letter.

Some of the best examples of acrostic mnemonics:

• “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally” – Order of operations in math: Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction.
• “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles” – Planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. (Pluto got kicked out, but you can always add “Pizzas” at the end if you want to remember it.)
• “King Philip Came Over For Good Soup” – Taxonomy in biology: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.
• “Never Eat Soggy Waffles” – Compass directions: North, East, South, West.

Notice something? The sillier or more personal the sentence, the better it sticks. Many teachers encourage students to invent their own, because personalized examples of mnemonics for retention tend to outperform generic ones.

Science and math: Best examples of mnemonics for tough concepts

Science and math are packed with abstract concepts, which makes them perfect for mnemonic tricks.

Chemistry and physics examples of mnemonics for retention

Students often struggle with oxidation and reduction, so one of the simplest examples of a helpful mnemonic is:

• OIL RIG – Oxidation Is Loss (of electrons), Reduction Is Gain (of electrons).

For remembering metric prefixes, a popular example of a phrase is:

• “King Henry Died By Drinking Chocolate Milk” – Kilo, Hecto, Deca, Base, Deci, Centi, Milli.

Physics students might use:

• “SOH-CAH-TOA” – Trigonometry in right triangles:
  • Sine = Opposite / Hypotenuse
  • Cosine = Adjacent / Hypotenuse
  • Tangent = Opposite / Adjacent

These examples of mnemonics for retention are especially helpful when you’re under time pressure on standardized tests like the SAT, ACT, or AP exams. Having a short cue phrase lets you reconstruct the formula quickly instead of memorizing every detail in isolation.

Biology and anatomy examples include some wild sentences

Anatomy students basically live on mnemonics. Here are some real examples students use in pre-med and nursing programs:

• Cranial nerves (in order):

  • “On Old Olympus’ Towering Tops A Finn And German Viewed Some Hops”
  • This stands for: Olfactory, Optic, Oculomotor, Trochlear, Trigeminal, Abducens, Facial, Acoustic (Vestibulocochlear), Glossopharyngeal, Vagus, Spinal accessory, Hypoglossal.

• Carpal bones (wrist bones):

  • “Some Lovers Try Positions That They Can’t Handle” – Scaphoid, Lunate, Triquetrum, Pisiform, Trapezium, Trapezoid, Capitate, Hamate.

• Taxonomy again (because it’s that important in bio):

  • “Kids Prefer Cheese Over Fried Green Spinach” – Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.

If these feel a bit ridiculous, that’s the point. Vivid, funny, or even slightly absurd examples of mnemonics for retention create emotional hooks, and emotion boosts memory.

Language, history, and test prep: Everyday examples you can steal

Mnemonics aren’t just for science nerds. They’re everywhere in language learning, history, and general test prep.

Spelling and vocabulary: Simple examples of word-based mnemonics

Some of the most famous spelling mnemonics:

• “I before E except after C” – Not perfect, but it helps with words like believe and receive.
• “A piece of pie” – To remember that piece has pie in it.
• “Dessert has two S’s because you want seconds” – Desert vs. dessert.

For vocabulary, you can turn a word into a mini story. For example:

• “Loquacious” (talkative) – Picture someone LOQUAking like a duck because they talk so much.
• “Mitigate” (to make less severe) – Imagine putting a MIT (a glove) on to soften a hot gate handle.

These are made-up, but that’s the beauty: the best examples of mnemonics for retention are often the ones you invent yourself that no one else would ever think of.

History and dates: Turning timelines into hooks

Dates are notoriously hard to memorize. Here’s an example of turning a date into something memorable:

• 1776 – American Declaration of Independence. Some students think: “1-7-7-6: 1 country, 7 letters in ‘America,’ 7 letters in ‘freedom,’ 6 letters in ‘nation.’” Is it perfect? No. Does it give you a weird little hook? Yes.

For British history, a classic example of a mnemonic for the wives of Henry VIII is:

• “Divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived.”

You can also build location-based stories: walk mentally through a map and attach events to regions, almost like building a memory palace. The Harvard University Center for Teaching and Learning often highlights active learning strategies, and combining mnemonics with spatial or visual learning is one of the more effective blends.

How to build your own examples of mnemonics for retention

Now let’s talk about creating your own. Real learning happens when you stop just collecting examples and start designing your own personalized memory tools.

Here’s a simple, repeatable approach you can use for any subject.

Step 1: Decide what exactly you need to remember

Be specific. Are you memorizing:

• A sequence (steps in a process, stages in a cycle)?
• A list (terms, bones, formulas)?
• A definition or concept (what something means or how it works)?

The type of information you’re dealing with will guide which type of mnemonic fits best.

Step 2: Pick a style that matches the content

Some quick guidelines:

• Lists of words → Acronyms or acrostic sentences.
• Processes or sequences → Short stories, first-letter sentences, or visual journeys.
• Definitions → Wordplay, rhymes, or vivid mental images.
• Formulas → Phrases where each word reminds you of a part of the formula.

For example, if you’re memorizing the steps of mitosis, you might use the classic “I Passed My Anatomy Test” for Interphase, Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase.

Step 3: Make it weird, personal, or funny

This is where most people go too “polite.” Your brain does not remember boring things well. It remembers:

• Humor
• Emotion
• Surprise
• Personal connections

So instead of a bland phrase like “People Eat Many Delicious Apples Sometimes,” go for something more vivid like “Pirates Eat Moldy Donuts At Sunrise.” The content doesn’t have to be logical; it just has to be sticky.

Step 4: Say it, write it, and use it

A mnemonic only works if you actually practice it:

• Write it at the top of your practice tests.
• Say it out loud when you review flashcards.
• Teach it to a friend or classmate.

Teaching others is one of the best ways to solidify your own memory. The idea of active recall and spaced repetition is backed by a lot of research; the American Psychological Association highlights retrieval practice and spacing as evidence-based strategies. Mnemonics plug into this beautifully because they make retrieval easier and more reliable.

2024–2025: Digital examples of mnemonics for retention

In 2024–2025, students are mixing old-school memory tricks with new-school tools.

Here are some modern examples of how people are using mnemonics:

• Anki or Quizlet decks where each flashcard includes a custom mnemonic in the answer field. You see the term, try to recall the meaning, then see your silly phrase or picture.
• Voice notes on your phone where you literally sing your mnemonics to a tune you like. A lot of language learners record themselves and replay those recordings while commuting.
• Shared class documents where everyone contributes their best examples of mnemonics for retention for a unit. By exam week, you’ve got a whole menu of options.

Many memory champions and educators have been promoting these techniques for years, and they keep showing up in discussions of effective study habits. For instance, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Learning Center explains different types of mnemonic devices and how to apply them in college-level courses.

The tools change, but the brain is still the same brain. Whether you’re using a notebook or a spaced-repetition app, the logic behind good examples of mnemonics for retention doesn’t change: make it meaningful, make it vivid, and use it often.

Common mistakes when using mnemonics (and how to fix them)

Even the best examples of mnemonics for retention won’t help if you fall into a few very common traps.

Mistake 1: Memorizing the mnemonic but not the meaning.
If you can recite “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally” but forget what each word stands for, the mnemonic has become empty noise.

Fix: Always pair the mnemonic with at least one example problem or real-world use. For math, actually solve a few problems while talking through each step.

Mistake 2: Making them too long or complicated.
If your phrase is longer than the list you’re trying to remember, it’s not helping.

Fix: Shorten it. Keep the mnemonic shorter than the original content.

Mistake 3: Using someone else’s example when it doesn’t click for you.
A lot of textbooks give generic examples of mnemonics for retention. If they feel flat, your brain won’t grab onto them.

Fix: Use those as a starting point, then tweak them to match your humor, your language, your culture, or your interests.

Mistake 4: Relying on mnemonics for everything.
Not everything needs a trick. Overusing mnemonics can actually slow you down.

Fix: Save them for:

• Hard-to-remember lists
• Confusing sequences
• High-stakes information (exam formulas, medical facts, etc.)

Think of mnemonics as power tools, not everyday silverware.

FAQ: examples of mnemonics for retention

Q: What is an example of a simple mnemonic for everyday life?
A: A classic example is “Righty tighty, lefty loosey” to remember which way to turn a screw or jar lid. It’s short, it rhymes, and you can use it constantly.

Q: Can you give examples of mnemonics for language learning?
A: For Spanish, you might remember “ser” vs. “estar” with the phrase “DOCTOR PLACE” (Descriptions, Occupations, Characteristics, Time, Origin, Relationships for ser; Position, Location, Action, Condition, Emotion for estar). Another example of a language mnemonic is linking French words to images that sound similar in English, like imagining a bee on a belle (beautiful) flower to remember that belle means beautiful.

Q: Are there examples of mnemonics that don’t work well?
A: Yes. If a mnemonic is too long, too boring, or too similar to other phrases you know, it can backfire. For instance, using three different “Please Excuse…”-type phrases in different subjects can get confusing. You want each mnemonic to feel distinct.

Q: How many examples of mnemonics for retention should I use per subject?
A: There’s no fixed number, but a good rule of thumb is to reserve them for your hardest content: maybe 5–10 key mnemonics per big exam. If everything is a mnemonic, nothing stands out.

Q: Do mnemonics actually improve test scores?
A: They can, especially when combined with spaced repetition and practice testing. Studies summarized by organizations like the National Center for Biotechnology Information show that retrieval practice and meaningful encoding strategies (like mnemonics) support long-term retention. They won’t replace studying, but they make your studying more efficient.

If you remember nothing else from this article, remember this: the best examples of mnemonics for retention are the ones that make you smile, picture something clearly, or feel a little ridiculous. That tiny spark of emotion is often the difference between blanking on an exam… and nailing the answer with confidence.