Memorizing dictionaries seems difficult. The Big Indonesian Dictionary (KBBI) contains more than 90,000 entries. The Oxford English Dictionary contains 900,000 entries and the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 470,000 entries. The world record for the number of entries successfully memorized by one person is held by Mahaveer Jain from India, who successfully memorized and was able to name 80,000 entries, including their order and page numbers in a dictionary. You can train your mind to memorize words in any language dictionary with several techniques, such as the memory palace technique and rote cards.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Using the Memory Palace Method
Step 1. Know how to use this method
The memory palace method is a kind of mnemonic. Mnemonics are a learning tool that you can use to memorize difficult information. Everyone has a "memory palace" in their head, a special place in the mind where you can build memories and store information, from images of the past to words and phrases.
- Picture your mind as one big memory palace. Within this palace, there are many separate "rooms" or rooms, such as bedrooms or living rooms. You can walk through the rooms in the palace. As you build your memory palace, leave the words or phrases you want to memorize in the rooms. Then retrieve the information in those rooms when you go on a trip to retrieve the information that was entered. With this method, you can memorize words from an article, for example a dictionary, indefinitely. There is no limit to the number of rooms you can add to your memory palace.
- This memory palace method isn't just for visual learners. Everyone has the ability to describe a palace or a house and the rooms in it. You can use your own house to depict your memory castle, or build a new castle as a combination of several familiar buildings.
Step 2. Draw a blueprint for your memory palace
Prepare a blank sheet of paper and a pencil or pen. Think of a house or room you know well, such as your family home, school, or office. Choose a building/place that has lots of room. You can also combine certain rooms to build one blueprint for your memory palace.
Start with the largest room. Arrange your room in a circle or semicircle with at least two doors to the outside. For example, include in your blueprint four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a large kitchen, a large living room, a storeroom, along with a long area for the front yard and backyard. Try to fit as many rooms in your blueprint as possible without having to combine the two rooms in one place. Make sure there is enough space between rooms that you can use as a corridor
Step 3. Draw a linear path through the blueprint
Make sure you can draw a linear path through all the rooms. Make sure you can get through the memory palace without reaching a dead end. This way, you'll be able to move from room to room in the memory palace with ease, and avoid having to re-enter or get stuck in a room.
Draw an unbroken linear path from one side to the other of your blueprint. If you walk through the blueprint of your memory palace, you should be able to walk from one end of the palace to the other in a fluid line without breaking
Step 4. Number your rooms
Number your rooms, starting with "1", from one end of the palace blueprint to the other. Enter at least one number in each corner of each room (four numbers per room).
For example: enter the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 in each corner of one room, then 5, 6, 7, 8 in each corner of the next room. This way, you'll have room to store more than one word in each room and maximize the use of each room in a palace. Create at least 50 places in your memory palace
Step 5. List your rooms and their corresponding words from the dictionary that you want to memorize
List the spaces in your blueprint in a Word document or on paper. Enter the numbers that correspond to each room. For example, under "bedroom" there are the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4; under "bathroom" there are 5, 6, 7, 8, and so on.
Open the dictionary, then select the words you want to memorize. For example, maybe you could start at the beginning of the dictionary, with the letter "a". Place these words in the list of rooms you have created above, one for one. If you start with words in the letter "b," such as "bakso, Balinese, bamboo, bank," enter the words in numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 in the "bedroom" room of your memory palace. Then, enter the following words: "banker, banoa, bansai, bansekower" in numbers 5, 6, 7, 8, in the "bathroom" list in your memory palace
Step 6. Associate a specific description and action with each word in your memory palace
Once you've placed the words from the dictionary in the appropriate spaces, it's time to memorize them. Draw up a bright, colorful, and surprising picture that relates to each word. Associate the picture with the room where the word is in your memory palace.
- For example, maybe you want to memorize the set of words "meatballs, Balinese, bamboo, bank." Create a strange and bright picture in your imagination that depicts and connects the words, for example a bank building made of bamboo on the edge of a beach in Bali and selling meatballs. You can then imagine the four words being at the same time in one room in your memory palace, and you will most likely never forget the image of them interacting with each other in that particular way.
- You can then also add the images you have created to the room list so that you can remember the images associated with a particular room. Try to describe each description in a sentence or two to make it easier to remember.
Step 7. As you memorize new words, add more space to your memory palace
As you continue to memorize new words from the dictionary, add more space to your memory palace. Create a picture with action for each set of 3-4 words, so you can remember a word set by describing its room in your memory palace. In this way, you will strengthen your long-term memory for each set of words and you will be able to remember each word easily.
Method 2 of 2: Using Memory Cards
Step 1. Make your own memory cards
Memory cards are a type of memorization tool that has been used in education for decades and can help you memorize words and dictionary definitions. Since you want to memorize the words in the dictionary, you can write down each word on a memory card and use the cards to practice memorizing each word.
- You can use memory cards that are only white in color. You can also use colorful memory cards for words that are harder to remember. You may also want to use colored cards to mark each letter in the alphabet. For example, use blue for all "a", yellow for all "b", green for all "c", and so on.
- Write one word at a time on the card. Follow the word order in the dictionary and sort your cards in that order. For example, "banker, banoa, bansai, bansekower" must be in that order, with one word for each card.
Step 2. Set a workout schedule
Use the memory cards you have created; take an hour or two per day to memorize it. Do it per section, for example 50 words per session. To strengthen your long-term memory, flip through the cards you've studied so you can slowly memorize 50, 100, then 150 cards, and so on.
Another technique you can use to memorize rote cards is to place them in various locations around your house or rooms that you pass frequently. You can stick it to a wall, glass, or any other surface you walk on every day. That way, you'll look at the cards throughout the day and remember them well
Step 3. Test your memory with a friend
Ask someone to help you test your card memorization. Start with 20 words per session. Ask the person to tell you to name each word on the set of 20 cards. Say it out loud to wake your memory back up. Over time, you can ask the person to speed up the question, so you can also speed up your ability to remember each word quickly and in sequence.
