What Are Embedded Picture Mnemonics?

The basics

What they are and how they work

What does "mnemonic" mean?

A mnemonic (say it "nih-MON-ik") is a memory clue. You've probably used one: holding up both hands to see which one makes an "L" for left. Embedded picture mnemonics work the same way, with a picture as the clue. Just as the shape of your hand reminds you which way is left, the shape of the letter reminds your child of the picture. The picture brings its name to mind, and that name contains the letter's sound.

Other names you may see:

What do they look like?

Here's how one look at the letter a leads to its sound.

1. a
   The letter's shape
2. 
   The picturean apple
3. apple
   The name"apple"
4. /æ/
   The sound/æ/

What to look for in a good embedded picture mnemonic

Not all mnemonic letters are made the same way. When you're choosing them for your child, look closely at how the picture fits the letter.

Choosing the right keyword matters too. The keyword is a familiar word that contains the letter's sound, like apple for a. The picture shows the keyword, and the keyword helps your child recall the sound and connect it to the letter. Every sound gets a keyword young children already know, with the sound at the very beginning of the word whenever possible (Schuele & Boudreau, 2008). A few sounds never start an English word (Brooks, 2015), like the /ŋ/ at the end of ring. For those, the keyword puts the sound where it most commonly occurs.

Try it yourself: tap each letter below. Can you spot the open space inside the apple's a? Now look at the b. The red stitching on the ball follows the curve of the letter, so you can still see the b.

aHover or tap

bHover or tap

cHover or tap

Why does "embedded" matter?

Many alphabet books and charts put a picture next to the letter, like an apple beside the a. That helps many children. Still, it leaves a child with two separate things to connect on their own. The bright, familiar picture also tends to pull their attention away from the letter. An embedded picture mnemonic joins the picture and the letter into one.

Both give your child a picture clue. Only one keeps their eyes on the letter.

Why is one image easier to learn than two?It comes down to how the brain stores and finds information.Why Do Embedded Picture Mnemonics Make Letter Sounds Easier to Learn? →

Common questions

What to expect along the way

"I learned with pictures next to letters. Why change it now?"

You're in good company, and pictures beside letters do help many children. Building the picture into the letter keeps that help and removes one step: your child no longer has to connect two separate things. For children who are already working hard, removing that one step can matter a lot.

Read more: where the picture sits, and why it matters →

"My child's school program doesn't use pictures. Is that wrong?"

Not at all. Many strong programs teach with plain letters. Embedded picture mnemonics are a research-based support for the very first step: learning which sound goes with each letter. They work alongside any program, at school or at home.

Won't the picture distract from the letter?

Not when the picture is the letter. Pictures can pull attention away from print in two situations: when they sit beside it, and when children are learning whole words. Built into a single letter, the picture has nothing to compete with: looking at the picture is looking at the letter.

Read more: the picture can steal the spotlight →

"My child says 'apple' instead of the sound." Is that normal?

Yes, it's a normal early step. The picture's name is the bridge to the sound. Model it out loud, "apple… /æ/," then ask for just the sound. With practice, the name drops away and the sound comes on its own.

When do the pictures go away?

Your child doesn't need to know every picture by heart before you bring in plain letters. Mix them. Use plain letters for the sounds your child already knows and remembers quickly, and mnemonic letters for the ones they're still learning. As each sound becomes quick and easy, that letter can move to plain print too.

Even then, keep both kinds side by side. Side by side, your child can compare the two shapes and see what stays the same. The mnemonic letter also links something your child already knows to the letters they'll see in real books and on signs.

What about letters that make more than one sound?

This is one of the most confusing parts of learning to read. A child learns that g says /ɡ/, as in gecko. Then they meet the word gem, where g says /dʒ/, and the rule they just learned stops working.

Embedded picture mnemonics make this easier to see. The letter's shape stays the same, but the picture inside changes with the sound. One g might be drawn as a gecko, and another as a gem. Your child can see that one shape can stand for different sounds, and each picture is a reminder of which sound is which.

The same idea works when two letters team up to make one sound, like sh or ch. Specialists call these digraphs. Each pair gets a picture of its own.

How to use them

At home and in the classroom

All you need is a set of embedded picture mnemonics and a few minutes. Short moments of play, woven into everyday routines like snack time, the walk to school, or morning meeting, do more than one long sit-down session. Point out letters in the world around your child and connect them to their pictures. That's what makes letters feel real, and fun.

Start with the picture, then the sound. When you point to a letter, say the picture's name first, then the sound: "apple… /æ/." Your child already knows the apple. Its picture and name are stored in memory, so starting there gives the brain something familiar to grab onto. From the name, the sound is one short step away.

Many letter-sound routines start with the letter name instead: "A, apple, /æ/." That asks your child to start with the letter, the very thing they're still learning. Leading with the picture starts with what your child already knows, then builds toward what's new.

Ways to practice

• Match them upPair each mnemonic letter with its plain letter, so your child sees they're the same shape.
• Spot it in the wildFind the letter on cereal boxes, signs, and book covers, and ask what picture lives inside it.
• Sound huntLook for things around the house or classroom that start with the same sound as the picture.
• Trace and drawTrace the plain letter with a finger, then draw the picture inside it together.
• Make it a gameChildren need lots of practice before letter sounds become automatic: your child sees the letter, and the sound pops out right away. Matching, memory, and fast-flip card games give them that practice without it feeling like work.
• Build first wordsYou don't have to wait until every sound is mastered. Line up mnemonic letters to make short words like sat, or mix in plain letters for the sounds your child already knows. Say each sound, then blend them together: /s/ /æ/ /t/, sat. Over time, more of each word moves to plain print.