Peg Words Tutorial PART TWO

2.2 • Pre-Memorizing Peg Words

Okay, you are now ready to use the peg word system except for one "little" problem... you don't have any peg words yet!! So your first task is to memorize a list of peg words. There are two ways to do this. Take a look at both methods first, then decide which one you want to use (or you could even use both). The first way is so simple that a young child can take advantage of the system: we just take the numbers 0 to 10 and we associate a rhyming word with each of them, like this:

   0. Hero
   1. Bun
   2. Shoe
   3. Tree
   4. Door
   5. Hive
   6. Sticks
   7. Heaven
   8. Crate
   9. Vine
  10. Hen

Of course, after the number 12, there aren't any easy rhymes. But there are still ways to extend the system. For example, you can "recycle" the words by imagining distorted versions of them. For 11-19, we can just use the words for 1-9, but imagine each word as burnt: so 10 would be a superhero wearing charred black clothes, so 11 would be an overly toasted bun, 12 would be a melted shoe, 13 would be a burnt tree, etc. For 20-29, we could imagine each word 0-9 as tiny. For 30-39, we could imagine each word as frozen in ice. Etc.

The more powerful method is to memorize words for all the numbers from 0 to 99 (and even 00 to 09) using the number alphabet as given in "How to Improve Your Memory". This helps you form an association without having to memorize a tedious arbitrary association with a number like rhyming also does. (Also, if you think of the peg word, you are guaranteed to get the correct number by extracting the consonants and converting them to digits.) The much larger list is more powerful because you avoid recycling, therefore your brain is less likely to get confused. However, it does take quite a bit of time to memorize. But once you memorize the peg words, you have them for life and you never need to memorize them again! Below are the peg words I chose for my 110 numbers. You don't have to use the same ones; for example, 13 could also be "Tom" (Sawyer, perhaps?), 47 could also be "rake" and 89 could also be "fob." Use whatever word is the most comfortable/memorable to you. But once you make a choice, don't ever change it!

    0. Sea    10. Toes    20. Nose   30. Mouse  40. Rose   
    1. Hat    11. Dot     21. Net    31. Mat    41. Road
    2. Hen    12. Town    22. Nun    32. Moon   42. Rain
    3. Ham    13. Dime    23. Name   33. Mummy  43. Room
    4. Rye    14. Tire    24. Nero   34. Mower  44. Aurora
    5. Hill   15. Doll    25. Nail   35. Mule   45. Roll
    6. Shoe   16. Tissue  26. Notch  36. Match  46. Rash
    7. Cow    17. Duck    27. Neck   37. Mug    47. Rock
    8. Ivy    18. Taffy   28. Knife  38. Movie  48. Roof
    9. Bee    19. Tape    29. Knob   39. Map    49. Rope

   50. Lace   60. Cheese  70. Gas    80. Fez    90. Bus    00. Susie
   51. Light  61. Sheet   71. Cat    81. Fat    91. Bat    01. Seed
   52. Lion   62. Chain   72. Can    82. Fan    92. Pen    02. Sun
   53. Lime   63. Jam     73. Comb   83. Foam   93. Opium  03. Seam
   54. Lure   64. Cherry  74. Car    84. Fire   94. Bear   04. Sarah
   55. Lily   65. Jello   75. Coal   85. File   95. Bell   05. Seal
   56. Leech  66. Judge   76. Cage   86. Fish   96. Beach  06. Sash
   57. Log    67. Chalk   77. Coke   87. Fog    97. Book   07. Sack
   58. Lava   68. Chef    78. Cave   88. Fife   98. Puff   08. Sofa
   59. Lip    69. Ship    79. Cape   89. Fib    99. Pipe   09. Sap

At this point you can decide what system you want to use. If you want to try the more advanced system, you don't have to memorize all 110 right away; you can work on 0-9 to start out with. You could also choose the easy rhyming system but expand it later using the advanced system. You'd have a hybrid system because the peg words for 0-10 are associated differently from those 11-99 and 00-09, but you shouldn't have a problem knowing the difference... just make sure no peg word is used for two different numbers.

Decided to learn the full set of 110 peg words and need a boost? Try Michael Ruane-Torr's Excel spreadsheet which quizzes you on your own personal peg words! Click here to find it on the Memory Page's files page.