The Consonant Peg Method

Techniques > Memory methods > The Consonant Peg Method

Usage | Description | Example | Discussion | See also

Usage

Use this method for remembering numbers.

Description

Assign one or more consonants to the numbers 0 to 9, for example by linking letters to numbers that look somehow similar or have the same number of strokes, for example:

Number	Peg
0	C, D
1	L, J
2	N, Y
3	M, F
4	R, K
5	S, H
6	G, Y
7	T, V
8	B, W
9	P, Q

Learn these association off by heart so given a letter you immediately know the number.

Translate the numbers into letters using these links.

Then add vowels to make a set of words.

Then use another memory method, such as the Journey Method to remember the words.

Example

I want to remember the phone number 01323 452602. I pick the letters to suit:

DLMNM RSYGDN

DIAL MAN MERSEY GOO DAN

I remember this as a telephone dial, with a man using it to call Liverpool (which is on the river Mersey). The phone is picked up by a person who has a sticky, gooey phone and who answers to the name of 'Dan'.

Discussion

This method can be shorter than the standard Peg Method, leading to fewer words to remember, but on the other hand it does mean unpicking the words to get to the consonants. If you cannot do this easily, the traditional peg is easier.

You can also use this method with letter combinations, such as 'CH'. You may also allocate only one letter per digit, although this makes forming words more difficult.

You can also set up short words to remember number pairs, for example '12' is JY or JAY. With some effort, you could have words for numbers 0 to 99.

The Consonant Peg is also known as the 'Major System'.