The Major System: Turn Numbers Into Words You Won't Forget

Updated March 2026 · 9 min read

Numbers are almost impossible to memorize in raw form. Quick — try to remember 7-3-9-4-1-6-0-2-8-5. Hard, right? Now try to remember the image of a camp roller on a knobby shelf. Much easier. That's the Major System in action: a phonetic code that converts numbers into consonant sounds, which you then build into words and vivid images.

Invented in the 17th century and refined over hundreds of years, the Major System is the standard tool memory athletes use to memorize phone numbers, dates, PINs, credit card numbers, and sequences of hundreds or even thousands of digits.

What Is the Major System?

The Major System is a phonetic mnemonic code that assigns a consonant sound to each digit from 0 to 9. Vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and the consonants w, h, and y carry no value — they're "free" fillers you can insert anywhere to build real words.

By converting a number into consonant sounds, you can form those sounds into words, and words into mental images. Since your brain is vastly better at remembering images than abstract digits, the system transforms an impossible memorization task into an easy one.

The Digit-to-Sound Table

This is the core of the system. Memorize this table and you can encode any number.

Digit Sound Memory Aid
0 s, z, soft c Zero starts with z; s is similar
1 t, d, th t and d have one downstroke
2 n n has two downstrokes
3 m m has three downstrokes
4 r "four" ends with r
5 l L is the Roman numeral for 50
6 sh, ch, j, soft g J looks like a reversed 6
7 k, hard c, hard g, q K looks like two 7s back to back
8 f, v Cursive f looks like 8
9 p, b p is a mirror of 9; b is a rotated 9

Key rule: Only consonant sounds matter, not spelling. "Phone" starts with an f sound (digit 8), not a "p" sound. "Knight" starts with an n sound (digit 2), not a "k" sound. Silent letters are ignored. Doubled consonants count as one sound: "butter" = b-t-r = 9-1-4, not 9-1-1-4.

How to Use the Major System

Encoding a Phone Number

Let's encode the phone number 735-4160.

Convert each digit to its consonant sound:

  • 7 = k
  • 3 = m
  • 5 = l
  • 4 = r
  • 1 = t
  • 6 = sh/ch/j
  • 0 = s/z

Now build words by inserting vowels between the consonants: k-m-l → "camel", r-t-ch-s → "riches" (r=4, t=1, ch=6, s=0).

Your image: a camel carrying bags of riches through a desert. That single vivid image encodes all seven digits of 735-4160. To decode, just convert the consonant sounds back to numbers.

Encoding a Date

When was the Declaration of Independence signed? 1776.

1-7-7-6 → t-k-k-sh → "take cash" or "tick-coach." Imagine the Founding Fathers trying to take cash from King George. The absurd image sticks, and decoding it gives you back 1776.

Encoding a PIN

Your new bank PIN is 4829.

4-8-2-9 → r-f-n-p → "raven" + "p" → "raven pub." Picture a giant raven sitting at a pub, drinking a pint, feathers ruffled. 4829.

Building a Peg List

Many Major System users create a permanent peg list: a pre-memorized set of images for the numbers 00 through 99. Each two-digit number gets a fixed image that you've practiced until it's automatic.

Some examples:

  • 00 (s-s) → "sauce" or "SOS"
  • 14 (t-r) → "tire"
  • 27 (n-k) → "neck"
  • 42 (r-n) → "rain"
  • 56 (l-sh) → "leash"
  • 83 (f-m) → "foam"
  • 99 (p-p) → "pipe" or "puppy"

With a complete 00–99 peg list, you can instantly convert any pair of digits into a pre-loaded image. This makes encoding much faster because you never need to think about what word to use — you already have one ready for every pair.

You can then place these images in a Memory Palace to memorize long sequences. Need to remember a 20-digit number? That's just 10 peg images placed at 10 loci — very manageable.

The PAO System: Major System Advanced

The Person-Action-Object (PAO) system extends the Major System for competitive memorization. Instead of assigning each two-digit number a single image, you assign it a person, an action, and an object.

For example:

  • 13 → Person: a dime (tiny person), Action: tumbling, Object: a dam
  • 72 → Person: a coin, Action: kneeling, Object: a can

To memorize a six-digit number like 137256, you take the person from the first pair (13), the action from the second pair (72), and the object from the third pair (56). This creates a single composite image encoding all six digits, placed at just one locus in your palace.

PAO is how memory athletes memorize decks of shuffled cards in under 30 seconds and strings of over 1,000 digits in competition. It's an advanced technique, but it builds directly on the Major System foundation. Master the basics first, then graduate to PAO when you're ready for the next level.

Tips for Learning the Major System

  • Start with the table. Before encoding anything, make sure you can convert any digit to its sounds and any consonant sound back to its digit without hesitation. Drill this until it's automatic — it typically takes one to two weeks of daily practice.
  • Practice with everyday numbers. License plates, prices, phone numbers, addresses. Every number you encounter is a practice opportunity.
  • Build your peg list gradually. Don't try to create all 100 images at once. Start with 00–20, use them until they're solid, then expand to 50, then 100.
  • Favor concrete, vivid nouns. "Tire" is a better peg for 14 than "tour" because a tire is easier to visualize. Pick the most image-friendly word for each number.
  • Combine with the Memory Palace. The Major System encodes numbers into images. The Memory Palace stores those images in order. Together, they let you memorize any sequence of numbers reliably.

Practice This Technique

The Major System rewards consistent practice. These resources can help you build fluency:

  • HippoMemory — Structured lessons that teach the Major System progressively, from the digit table through peg lists and real-world application.
  • Anki — Create flashcards for your peg list (00–99) and use spaced repetition to drill them.
  • Major System Generator tools — Several free websites let you type a number and see word suggestions. Useful when building your peg list.

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