How to TURBO-CHARGE your memory, so you can easily remember ANY NUMBER

Step 2 Practical App: Translate any number into string of consonant sounds

For the purpose of this instructable, we are now going to translate a number into a string of consonant sounds.

Lets say you have to memorize a 4 digit PIN number that happens to be 0014. How are you going to reliably remember it, when you have a sea of other more meaning full numbers bouncing around in your brain?

Easy, translate it to the corresponding consonant sounds from the previous step. In this case, here is what you get:

0 = (s, z)
0 = (s, z)
1 = (t, d)
4 = (r)

Now, when you have digits like 0, 1, 6, 7, 8, and 9 where you get two choices of consonant sounds, don't panic, that is a good thing. Since they are similar sounds, you get to pick which one to use.

At this point, your goal is to come up with a meaningful word, expression or sentance out of the consonant sounds so you can easily memorize the word instead of the meaningless digits.

For this example, you just start sounding things out until you find one you like, using the consonant sounds and any combination of vowel sounds to go between them:
suh suh tuh ruh is extremely close to "sister" so lets use that. If you examine the word "sister" as consonant sounds you get this: ("His Star" also works)

s = 0
i = vowel so no number is represented
s = 0
t = 1
e = vowel so no number is represented
r = 4

So what does the word "sister" ALWAYS equal in this system? The number 0014!

Here is another example, just less "expanded."

Lets say you have to remember a phone number: 404-411-6720 (yes, it is a fictitious number)

lets break it down into consonant sounds first:

4 = r
0 = s/z
4 = r
4 = r
1 = t/d
1 = t/d
6 = ch/sh/j
7 = k/g
2 = n
0 = s/z

well, after sounding out this example, I came up with the somewhat nonsensical phrase:

"Ours are rated chickens." Or you could use "Razor-rided shock news" or "our sour, rotted chug nose."

Of the above, I would probably go with "Our sour, rotted chickens" because it makes a little sense. But, the point is, you can much more easily remember the phrase "our sour, rotted chickens" than you can 404-411-6720.

Plus, this is a good time to mention, half of memorizing something is actually putting in some mental effort into memorizing it. By making a word-game out of it, you may actually forget the phrase "our sour rotted chickens" but you may remember the sounds you had to juggle to come up with it, and thus, the number.

Also, this is a good place to point out, that if you have a lone consonant sound that can't really get linked to easily with others, you can make it into a freestanding word by putting a vowel sound in front and/or one in back. Like: 1 can equal the word "itty" or "auto" or "ad" or "ate" or "oat" etc.

And a note about the number 6, the sounds that this can represent are also the "dge" sound like at the beginning and end of "judge" and the end of "dodge" as well as the "tch" sound like in "itch" or "hatch," and the "jhew" sound like in "rouge" and "luge."