Memory techniques: acronyms, memory palace and chunking
By Lorenzo Geano · Updated on November 2, 2026 · 5 min read
Some information is hard to retain: a list of unconnected words, coordinating conjunctions, countries to match with their capitals. Memory techniques then provide a support: a word formed from initials, a memorable phrase, an imagined route. The method of loci was already described in Antiquity by Roman authors such as Cicero. This article explains what these techniques are for, when they help and how to combine them with the Mnemoz games.
What memory techniques are for
These techniques give support to information that is hard to retain: a list with no apparent logic, or an arbitrary link between a name and a fact. They are not useful for everything. Dunlosky et al. (2013) classify keyword mnemonics among the techniques of low utility for the average learner, as a general method for understanding a course. They therefore complement the techniques rated as having high utility, testing yourself and spacing out revision, without replacing them.
They are mainly suited to lists and associations to be remembered word for word. An exercise such as name all the capitals is an example: each country is linked to a capital by an arbitrary association.
Acronyms and mnemonic phrases
An acronym forms a word from the first letters of the items in a list. A mnemonic phrase does the same with a sentence whose words recall the items to remember. The usual example is a French mnemonic phrase, “Mais où est donc Ornicar”, for the French coordinating conjunctions: mais (but), ou (or), et (and), donc (so), or (now), ni (neither/nor) and car (for). In this phrase, “mais”, “où”, “est” and “donc” each recall one conjunction, and “Ornicar” recalls three: or, ni and car.
A mnemonic phrase is only useful if it is easier to remember than the list itself. It can help with a short list to recite, but it does not replace understanding the rule.
Grouping information into chunks
Working memory holds only a few items at a time, about four “chunks” (Cowan, 2001). Grouping information therefore lets you handle a larger set with few items to hold. A few examples of groupings:
A list of capitals is arranged by continent, then by region.
Flags are grouped into families: the Nordic crosses, the tricolours with vertical stripes.
The method of loci involves placing each item to remember on a step of a route you know well, then retrieving the items by mentally walking that route again. Roman authors such as Cicero describe it. Dresler et al. (2017) report that six weeks of training in this method markedly improved recall of word lists among novice participants.
A step-by-step example
Choose a familiar route of 5 to 10 steps: the front door, the hallway, the kitchen, the garden bench.
Link each step to one item from the list, with one image per item.
Walk the route again in the same order to retrieve the items.
Linking items to images
In the method of loci, each item is linked to an image, and that image serves as a support for retrieving it. For a list of words, you can also imagine a scene that links the words together. This is a common example of the technique, not a research finding.
For a text, Dunlosky et al. (2013) judge mental imagery to have low utility. These images are therefore mainly a tool for lists.
Combining the techniques with Mnemoz
For capitals, group the countries by continent, then try to name them all with the name all the capitals game, within the time allowed. Capitals and country names are accepted in the site's four languages.
The geography games on a world map also let you place a capital or name a landmark. The site's quizzes, with an explanation after each answer, help check what has been retained.
A memory technique is not enough on its own: you also need to test yourself and come back to the information several times. For this, the article on the study techniques best supported by research gives an overview.
Frequently asked questions
Do these techniques really work?
They help with some tasks, but their place remains limited. Dresler et al. (2017) report a marked improvement in the recall of word lists among novice participants, after six weeks of training in the method of loci. Dunlosky et al. (2013), on the other hand, rate keyword mnemonics as having low utility as a general method for understanding a course.
Do you need a natural talent to use them?
No, the method of loci can be learned. In the study by Dresler et al. (2017), novice participants markedly improved their recall after six weeks of training. Acronyms and chunks need little equipment: a phrase to find, or a list to group.
Which technique should I start with?
Start with grouping into chunks, which requires no equipment: a list is arranged into families before being recited. Working memory holds only a few items at a time (Cowan, 2001). Then, for a list to remember word for word, try the method of loci on a route you know.
Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques: Promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4-58. DOI
Cowan, N. (2001). The magical number 4 in short-term memory: A reconsideration of mental storage capacity. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 24(1), 87-114. DOI
Dresler, M., Shirer, W. R., Konrad, B. N., et al. (2017). Mnemonic training reshapes brain networks to support superior memory. Neuron, 93(5), 1227-1235. DOI
Studies are summarised simply. Sample schedules and routines are common rules of thumb, not research findings.
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