I’ve been seeing a lot of people get stuck at the exact same point I did a while back: you decide you want to get serious about numbers, you Google “best memory system,” and suddenly you’re drowning in Major System, Dominic System, and PAO. Everyone claims their favorite is the best, and none of them really explain which one makes sense for a normal person.
here is a comparsion of the systems:
The Major System
This is the classic one. Digits get turned into consonant sounds (0 = s/z, 1 = t/d, 2 = n, 3 = m, etc.), then you make words out of those sounds and turn the words into images.
42 becomes “rain” or “ruin.” 15 becomes “towel” or “doll.” You can invent the image on the fly.
It’s extremely flexible and has a low startup cost, and it makes the codes easier to memorize. It’s great for phone numbers, PINs, short sequences, or just everyday stuff. The downside is that, for very long sequences, it has lower information density than the Dominic system and PAO, and it requires many more loci to store the information.
The Dominic System
Dominic O’Brien’s system. Two-digit numbers become the initials of a person (using a letter code: 1=A, 2=B, 3=C… 0=O). So 15 = AE = Albert Einstein, 23 = BC = Bill Clinton, etc. Each person also gets a signature action.
You combine one person’s identity with another person’s action and get four digits in one scene. It’s more consistent than pure Major because you’re always using vivid people. The trade-off is you still have to learn 100 people + actions, and it only gives you 4 digits per image instead of 6.
PAO (Person-Action-Object)
This is the one most serious competitors use now. You create a fixed list for 00–99 where every number has a Person, an Action, and an Object. Six digits become one scene: Person from the first pair doing the Action from the second pair with the Object from the third pair.
It’s the densest of the three. Once the list is automatic, it’s ridiculously fast for long numbers and card decks. The catch is obvious: building and drilling 100 full triples takes real time and effort.
So which one should you actually learn?
It depends on what you want.
If you’re mainly doing everyday numbers (phone numbers, dates, short codes) and don’t want a huge upfront project → start with the Major System. You’ll get usable results fast.
If you want something stronger and more consistent than Major but aren’t ready to commit to a full PAO list yet → Dominic is a really solid middle ground.
If your goal is long number sequences, cards, or just maximum speed and density → go straight to PAO. The extra work pays off once it’s fluent.
A lot of people (including me) end up using more than one. Major for quick daily stuff, PAO when I need to crush longer sequences. That’s completely fine.
The most important thing isn’t picking the “perfect” system. It’s picking one and actually practicing it consistently. A half-learned PAO will lose to a well-practiced Major System every single time.
Curious what everyone else here started with and what you’re using now. Did you jump straight into PAO, or did you go Major → Dominic → PAO like a lot of people?
please leave your comment or experience below your learning path — especially if you’ve switched systems.
I’m now using the tool below to practise and manage both the Major system and the PAO system, and I hope it can also help anyone who has difficulty managing and practising these coding systems.
app stores keyword: memory maestro
link:
https://apps.apple.com/mo/app/%E8%A8%98%E6%86%B6%E5%A4%A7%E5%B8%AB-%E6%88%90%E7%82%BA%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E8%A8%98%E6%86%B6%E5%A4%A7%E5%B8%AB%E4%B9%8B%E8%B7%AF/id6800420327