Peg systems: number-shape, rhyme and body pegs

§ 1How a peg system works

A peg is a hook you learn once and use again and again. Each peg is tied to a number by a simple rule, such as its shape or a rhyme, so it comes to mind instantly. To memorize a list, you make an image that joins each new item to its peg. Later you go through the pegs and the items come back with them.

Pegs are close relatives of the memory palace. Gordon Bower pointed out in 1970 that both rely on the same two parts: a fixed, well-learned series of cues and an interactive image linking each cue to an item. Palace places are found by walking; pegs are found by number, which makes it easy to answer “what was the sixth item?” In Roediger’s 1980 comparison of four mnemonics, the peg-word method did as well as the method of loci in free recall.

§ 2Number-shape pegs

Each digit becomes an object that looks like it. This is the quickest set to learn because the picture is already in the digit.

§ 3Rhyming pegs

Each number is tied to a word that rhymes with it in English: 1 bun, 2 shoe, 3 tree, 4 door, 5 hive, 6 sticks, 7 heaven, 8 gate, 9 wine, 10 hen. The rhyme does the remembering for you. Rhymes only work in the language they were made in, so speakers of other languages build their own set.

§ 4Body pegs

Your body is a peg list you always carry. Go from the feet up: 1 feet, 2 knees, 3 thighs, 4 hips, 5 belly, 6 chest, 7 shoulders, 8 neck, 9 face, 10 top of the head. Kluger and colleagues (2022) found that a body scaffold supported recall in order as well as a familiar route did.

§ 5How to use pegs

1. Learn one set of ten pegs until each comes instantly when you hear its number.
2. Take the first item and make an image where it interacts with peg 1: milk pouring over a burning candle.
3. Do the same for each item and its peg. Spend a few seconds on each and see the scene.
4. Recall by running through the pegs in order, or ask yourself for a single position.
5. Go through the list again later the same day, and the next day if you need to keep it.

Ten pegs cover a short list. For longer lists, combine sets (shape pegs for 1–10, body pegs for 11–20), or use the Major system, which gives a peg word to every number up to 99.

§ 6Pegs or a memory palace?

Use pegs for short lists you need by position: a top ten, the steps of a checklist, items you may be asked about out of order. Use a palace for long sequences, talks and anything where the route itself helps. Because the same pegs are reused often, old images can get in the way of new ones; let some time pass before you reuse a set, and make the new scenes distinct.

§ 7Pegs, links and stories

The link method chains each item to the next one, and the story method weaves them into a narrative. Both are quick for a short list, but a broken link can cost you the rest of the chain. Pegs keep every item separate: if you forget item four, item five is still on its peg.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between a peg system and the link method?

The link method chains each item to the next, so one lost link can break the rest of the chain. A peg system ties each item to its own numbered peg, so the items are independent and you can recall any position directly.

How many items can a peg system hold?

One set of ten pegs holds ten items at a time. Combining sets, or using the Major system, extends it to 100.

Which peg system should I learn first?

Number-shape pegs are the quickest to learn because the image is in the digit. Body pegs need no learning at all and are good for a first try.

Can I reuse the same pegs?

Yes, that is their purpose. If an old image keeps coming back, wait longer before reusing the set and make the new scenes more vivid.