Key Word

Creating key words to help remember something involves three steps - 3 Rs:

     1) Recoding the new word to another word (which will be the key word) that sounds similar to the new word

     2) Relating the keyword to a image that is associated with the new word 

     3) Recalling the new word and definition by thinking of the keyword and the picture

Example:  Is it the radius or the diameter?

(The "radius" is a line from the center of the circle to the edge. The "diameter" is a line from edge-to-edge passing through the center.)

   Recoding:  Radish sounds like radius.  Radish is the key word.

   Relating:  Create an image of a radish swinging from the center of a circle like a pendulum. 

  Recalling:  When someone mentions "radius" in the future, the sound of that word should remind you of radish and the image of a radish swinging inside a circle should pop into your mind.

The radish is swinging back-and-forth from the center. Thus, "radius" means the distance from the center of the circle to the edge. Easy, right?

Study the image for a few moments. With this silly picture in mind, could you ever again confuse radius with diameter?

Another Example:  Who was a famous Hungarian pianist?

(Bela Bartok)

Recoding: Bela sounds like bell.  Bartok can be taken apart into two sounds, bar and talk.  The key words are bell, bar, and talk. 

Relating: Create a crazy image of a large bell talking to people in a bar in Hungary while it is hitting the piano with an iron bar.   

Recalling: You can use this to remember that Bela Bartok as a pianist or that a Hungarian pianist was Bela Bartok. 

More Information - Diving Deeper Videos

 This is a picture of where to click on the video to get close captioning (cc) and to make the picture larger (rectangle) or smaller (4 arrows in rectangle pointing to the center)

Webster Ku's How to STUDY the EASY & EFFECTIVE way? "KeyWords" the Secret to study less & still Score A's Video

EDLAB's How do I create keywork mnemonics? Video