Ben System
The Ben System is an advanced system for memorizing numbers and cards that was created by Ben Pridmore.
Here’s a video where he is memorizing numerous shuffled deck of cards at once.
General Background
In the Ben System, the information to be memorized is chunked and encoded into consonant-vowel-consonant sounds that are the basis for the Mnemonic Images. Ben’s description:
The basic principle is the same as everyone else uses, visualising images at points along a mental route or journey. I don’t use the person-action-object ideas of some people, I just have three ‘objects’ at each point on my route. Some of these objects are people, some are things. I ‘see’ them arranged from left to right, or top to bottom, and interacting in various ways according to rules I made up as I went along, depending on which objects come together in what order.
Each object is made from a combination of two playing cards, or three decimal digits, or ten binary digits. The name of the object starts with a one-syllable sound made up of a consonant, a vowel and another consonant.
- Decimal numbers are chunked in threes which become the consonant-vowel-consonant.
- Binary numbers chunked in tens, and chunked again into 4-3-3 which become the consonant-vowel-consonant.
- Playing cards are chunked in pairs. The consonant-vowel-consonant is derived from the 2 suits combined (consonant), first card (vowel), second card (consonant).
Decimal numbers
Numbers are chunked in threes. 974191714 would become 974-191-714:
- 974 = bEr = this could be a beer
- 191 = tOt = this could be a totem pole
- 714 = kar = this could be a carrot
(see Ben’s notation below)
| First sound | Second sound | Third sound |
|---|---|---|
| 0 = s | 0 = ‘oo’ as in ‘you’ | 0 = s |
| 1 = t | 1 = ‘a’ as in ‘cat’ | 1 = t |
| 2 = n | 2 = ‘e’ as in ‘pet’ | 2 = n |
| 3 = m | 3 = ‘i’ as in ‘kitten’ | 3 = m |
| 4 = r | 4 = ‘o’ as in ‘tom’ | 4 = r |
| 5 = l | 5 = ‘u’ as in ‘puss’ | 5 = l |
| 6 = gj | 6 = ‘A’ as in ‘hay’ | 6 = g |
| 7 = k | 7 = ‘E’ as in ‘bee’ | 7 = k |
| 8 = f/th | 8 = ‘I’ as in ‘high’ | 8 = f/th |
| 9 = b | 9 = ‘O’ as in ‘low’ | 9 = b |
Binary numbers
Binary numbers are chunked in tens and then in 4-3-3. 1001111100 would become 1001-111-100:
- 1001-111-100 = bEr = this could be a beer
(see Ben’s notation below)
Every set of 10 binary digits becomes an image, and three images are placed per locus.
| First sound | Second sound | Third sound |
|---|---|---|
| 0000 = s | 000 = ‘oo’ | 000 = s |
| 0001 = t | 001 = ‘a’ | 001 = t |
| 0010 = n | 010 = ‘e’ | 010 = n |
| 0011 = m | 011 = ‘i’ | 011 = m |
| 0100 = r | 100 = ‘o’ | 100 = r |
| 0101 = l | 101 = ‘u’ | 101 = l |
| 0110 = g/j | 110 = ‘A’ | 110 = g |
| 0111 = k | 111 = ‘E’ | 111 = k |
| 1000 = f | ||
| 1001 = b | ||
| 1010 = p | ||
| 1011 = d | ||
| 1100 = h | ||
| 1101 = sk/sn/sm | ||
| 1110 = st/sp | ||
| 1111 = sh/sl/sw |
Playing cards
Notice in the video above that Ben starts at the bottom of the deck.
The first two suits are combined to create the first consonant; the first card’s value becomes the vowel; and the second card’s value becomes the final consonant.
Two cards per image and three images per locus fits six cards per locus.
Example
If the two cards are 7 of hearts and 4 of diamonds, the first sound comes from the heart/diamond combination (b). The 7 becomes the vowel “E” (in Ben’s notation, see below), and the 4 is an “r”.
7 of hearts and 4 of diamonds is “bEr”, which could be an image of a beer. The images overlap: 974 and 1001111100 are the same image as 7 of hearts and 4 of diamonds.
Cards Table
| First sound | Second sound | Third sound |
|---|---|---|
| club/club - k | A = ‘a’ as in ‘cat’ | A = t |
| club/diamond - t | 2 = ‘e’ as in ‘pet’ | 2 = n |
| club/heart - n | 3 = ‘i’ as in ‘kitten’ | 3 = m |
| club/spade - m | 4 = ‘o’ as in ‘tom’ | 4 = r |
| diamond/club - r | 5 = ‘u’ as in ‘puss’ | 5 = l |
| diamond/diamond - d | 6 = ‘A’ as in ‘hay’ | 6 = g |
| diamond/heart - l | 7 = ‘E’ as in ‘bee’ | 7 = k |
| diamond/spade - g/j | 8 = ‘I’ as in ‘high’ | 8 = f/th |
| heart/club – f/th | 9 = ‘O’ as in ‘low’ | 9 = b |
| heart/diamond - b | 10 = ‘oo’ as in ‘you’ | 10 = s |
| heart/heart - h | J = ‘ow’ as in ‘cow’ | J = j/sh/ch |
| heart/spade - p | Q = ‘or’ as in ‘oor’ | Q = p |
| spade/club - sk/sn/sm | K = ‘ar’ as in ‘car’ | K = d |
| spade/diamond - st/sp | ||
| spade/heart - sh/sl/sw | ||
| spade/spade – s |
Resources
- Ask a Memory Champion, part 1
- Ask a Memory Champion, part 2
- A Ben System Worksheet (If there are errors, leave a comment in the forum)
- A PHP script for generating a Ben System worksheet
- Coming up with Images for the Ben System
- Interview: Ben Pridmore
- List of 10,000 Famous People
- Octaveslur’s Ben System list for 000-999
