How to Create Alphabet Peg Lists

The alphabet peg list technique is a type of mnemonic peg system that allows you to memorize long lists of facts and recall the items in order.

Note: if you are looking to create images for letters, see the Images for English Letters page and the images for the NATO Phonetic Alphabet page.

With an alphabet peg list, each letter in the alphabet is associated with a fact that you want to remember. You can then mentally walk through the alphabet to recall each item in order. Mnemonics are used to link the letters with the facts.

Peg List Example: Shopping List

A shopping list is one of the easiest things to remember with alphabet peg lists, so we’ll start with that as an example.

First, you should create a list of alphabet animals. For each letter in the alphabet, think of an animal whose name begins with that letter.

1. A — Alligator
2. B — Bear
3. C — Cow
4. (You can continue all the way to Z. This page has some free peg lists that you can download below.)

Next, imagine that these are the first three items on your shopping list:

1. bread
2. milk
3. peanut butter

Combine each item in the lists together.

• The first letter is A, which stands for Alligator. Imagine an alligator eating a loaf of bread.
• The second letter is B, which stands for Bear. Imagine a bear drinking milk
• The third letter is C, which stands for Cow. Imagine a cow rolling around in your peanut butter

Then when you are at the supermarket, you can recite the alphabet to go through your pegs and recall your shopping list items.

Here’s the recall process:

1. Starting at the first letter of the alphabet, think of the animal that is associated with that letter. So if the first letter is A, you would recall the Alligator from your peg list.
2. Then try to remember what that animal was doing. For the letter A, you should be able to recall that the Alligator was eating a loaf of bread.
3. Continue going through the alphabet to recall all the items on the shopping list.

If you are having trouble remembering what the animals were doing, try recalling the list a few times. The technique gets much easier with practice!

Mnemonic Image Linking

The mental pictures that you’re creating are called mnemonic images. There’s a tutorial on this site with tips on how to create the images.

Most memory techniques are based on some form of mnemonic image linking.

How Much Data Can an Alphabet Peg List Store?

If you’re using the English alphabet, there are 26 letters, so you can store up to 26 items in that peg list. If you link two items per animal, one alphabet peg list can store 52 items.

You can make more than one set of alphabet pegs. Some methods are listed below.

How to Create Multiple Alphabet Peg Lists

Here are several ways to create multiple alphabet peg lists:

1. First Letter Method

This method involves making a list of 26 things that start with each letter of the alphabet.

Here is an example using animals:

• A = ant
• B = baboon
• C = cat
• D = dog
• E = elephant
• Etc.

Here is an example using food:

• A = apple
• B = banana
• C = carrot
• D = dates
• E = escargot
• Etc.

Here is an example using objects:

• A = ark
• B = balloon
• C = car
• D = door
• E = earring
• Etc.

Here is an example using names of people:

• A = Andrew
• B = Betty
• C = Charlie
• D = David
• E = Edward
• Etc.

2. Letter Sound Method

Some people recommend making the pegs start with the same sound as the letter. An example of that approach can be found in the book, Use Your Perfect Memory, 3rd Edition, by Tony Buzan.

Here are some examples:

• A = ace or ape
• B = bee or beans
• C = seed or sea (because “c” is the first sound of “sea”)
• D = deed
• E = easel
• Etc.

3. Letter Shape Method

You can also build alphabet pegs based on the shape of each letter. Here are some examples:

• A = geometric compass
• B = brassiere
• C = banana
• D = crescent moon
• E = comb
• F = scythe
• G = sickle
• H = chimney pot
• I = candle
• J = hockey stick
• K = sign post
• L = L-square
• M = fedora
• N = crank handle
• O = doughnut
• P = sword with hilt
• Q = hoop and stick
• R = pincers
• S = snake
• T = sledgehammer
• U = horseshoe
• V = hand fan
• W = badminton birdie
• X = diabolo
• Y = martini glass
• Z = folding ruler

Peg List Templates

Be sure to download our free PDF peg list worksheet to see some pre-made alphabet lists. Look for the one for alphabet peg lists.

The PDF includes two full peg lists as well as a template where you can create two additional ones. If you store two items per location, that’s enough mnemonic storage space for at least 208 facts. (26 pegs * 2 facts per peg * 4 lists = 208 facts.)

Learn More

Here are some more resources for learning about human memory:

• The memory palace technique is an alternative to peg lists.
• Eidetic Memory vs. Photographic Memory: Do They Exist? — it isn’t what most people think.
• The Shaper System is an easy way to create 100 more pegs for memorizing things.