The 'Major System' memory system
This system is mainly used for double digits but can be used for single digits.
The idea is that a different consonant or consonants are assigned to the digits 0 - 9 in order to make words. Vowels don't count, nor silent letters, nor the 'special' consonants like
h, w and y.
As such, it's sometimes possible to construct many words to mean the same number. The
simplified rules are as follows. We say 'simplified' because in English, different letters have different sounds in different contexts which can be confusing. For example, the letter 'c' can be sounded as a 'soft c,' as in 'cedar' in which case it would count as a 0, not a 7 ( see below. ) As such we have presented an easier list which is more 'set in stone' :
| Digit | Consonant(s) | Example word |
| 0 | s , z | zoo |
| 1 | t , d | hat |
| 2 | n, gn, kn | hen |
| 3 | m | ammo |
| 4 | r | rye |
| 5 | l | loo |
| 6 | sh, j, ch (in cheese and chef) | shoe |
| 7 | c , k , ch | key |
| 8 | f, v | ufo |
| 9 | p, b | bee |
Larger numbers are constructed in the same way, where only the consonants count. So for example:
| Word | Consonant(s) | Digits | Number |
| shop | sh + p | 6 , 9 | 69 |
| table | t + b + l | 1 , 9 , 5 | 195 |
| toucan | t , c , n | 1 , 7 , 2 | 172 |
The advantage of the Major System over say, the number-shape system, is that you only need to remember half as many things to represent a number, assuming you only use words for two digits.
so for example, the number 1234 could be represented by 'dune' and 'marrow', meaning 12 and 34 respectively. So in your head you could imagine a hot dusty sand dune and a giant marrow sliding down. However with number-shapes, you would need to visualise a pencil (1), a swan(2), a camel(3) and a yacht(4).
However, it can be difficult to come up with a good word 'on the fly,' which is why we present 111 words here, representing the numbers 0 to 100, and this is what this training module is all about - learning these 111 words by rote in order to speed up number encoding.
In addition, we have been careful not to create words which are too similar. So for example, we could make 'moo' for 3, where you could imagine a cow mooing, but 'cow' is also hard c, which means 7. Similarly we could have suggested 'toe' for the number 1, but we also use 'foot' to represent 81, and hence we don't use 'toe' in order to avoid confusion. We don't use 'rope' for 49, becasue we use 'lasso' for 50. ( By comparison, if you look at the many online suggestions for this 'first one hundred,' you will see the authors haven't paid due regard to the potential confusions. )
We have also chosen our words so that they are all
concrete nouns, rather than verbs or concepts, as we believe these are easier to visualise in the mind's eye.
One last caveat:
Rhoticity
Rhoticity refers to a pronunciation where an 'r' is pronounced on the end of a word. In British English, this form is now very rare, but is common in the U.S. For example:
'car' is pronounced 'ca
r' in the U.S, but is pronounced 'kaa' in the UK, so basically in the US the 'r' is sounded but in the UK it isn't. This affects the major system. We have allowed ourselves some of these US forms in our list, simply as they are such a good fit, for example
car , mapping to 74, and
door, mapping to 14.
| Number | Example word(s) |
| 0 | zoo , sioux , hose |
| 1 | hat, |
| 2 | knee |
| 3 | ammo |
| 4 | arrow, roo (as in kangaroo) |
| 5 | loo, whale |
| 6 | shoe |
| 7 | key |
| 8 | hive, ufo |
| 9 | bee, ape, pie |
| 00 | zeus |
| 01 | soot , sooty , zit |
| 02 | sun |
| 03 | sumo |
| 04 | sari |
| 05 | soil, seal |
| 06 | sash |
| 07 | sock , sky |
| 08 | sofa , safe |
| 09 | soup , soap, sub |
| 10 | dice |
| 11 | teddy , tattoo |
| 12 | dune |
| 13 | dam , dummy, dome |
| 14 | door |
| 15 | doll |
| 16 | dish |
| 17 | duck , dog |
| 18 | dove , toffee, TV |
| 19 | tap , top , tuba |
| 20 | nose |
| 21 | net |
| 22 | nun , onion |
| 23 | gnome |
| 24 | Nero , narrow ( as in narrow boat ) |
| 25 | nail |
| 26 | nacho, niche ( French for dog kennel ) |
| 27 | neck , nag ( as in horse ) |
| 28 | knife |
| 29 | nappy |
| 30 | moss |
| 31 | mud , meadow |
| 32 | moon |
| 33 | mummy ( as in Egyptian ) |
| 34 | marrow |
| 35 | mole |
| 36 | mash, match |
| 37 | mac ( as in coat ) , mig ( as in aircraft ) |
| 38 | earmuff |
| 39 | mop , map |
| 40 | rose , rice |
| 41 | rat |
| 42 | rhino |
| 43 | ram |
| 44 | orrery , aurora |
| 45 | railway |
| 46 | rush ( as in bullrush ) |
| 47 | rake , rock |
| 48 | roof |
| 49 | ruby |
| 50 | lasso , louse |
| 51 | light , lady |
| 52 | lion |
| 53 | lime |
| 54 | lorry |
| 55 | lilo , lily |
| 56 | eyelash |
| 57 | log , leg |
| 58 | loaf , leaf, lava |
| 59 | lip |
| 60 | cheese |
| 61 | shed , cheetah |
| 62 | chain , chin |
| 63 | jam |
| 64 | cherry |
| 65 | shell , chilli |
| 66 | shish ( as in kebab ) |
| 67 | shake ( as in milk ) |
| 68 | chef |
| 69 | ship |
| 70 | case |
| 71 | cat |
| 72 | cane , cone , coin |
| 73 | comb , cam |
| 74 | curry , car , crow |
| 75 | coal , clay |
| 76 | cash , cosh, cage |
| 77 | cake |
| 78 | coffee , cave |
| 79 | cup , cop , cube |
| 80 | vase |
| 81 | foot |
| 82 | phone , fan |
| 83 | foam |
| 84 | fairy |
| 85 | file , vale , valley |
| 86 | fish |
| 87 | fig |
| 88 | fife |
| 89 | fab |
| 90 | bus |
| 91 | bat , potty , pit , putty, butty |
| 92 | bone , bin , pan, pin , bead |
| 93 | bomb |
| 94 | berry |
| 95 | ball , bell |
| 96 | beach , pouch |
| 97 | bike , puck , pick , bivvy |
| 98 | pouf ( as in footstool ) |
| 99 | baby , pipe |
| 100 | daisies |
Tip: Have a think: there exist some really good words derived from popular culture - trademarks, famous people etc, which we haven't included here. Why not write out your own table based on the above and add others as you discover them. You could even use the names of friends.
Difficulty Levels
Higher difficulty levels show longer numbers involving more images.