What Are Embedded Mnemonics? The Research Behind One of My Favorite Ways to Teach Letter Sounds

Have you ever looked at an alphabet chart and wondered why the letters are hidden inside pictures? Maybe you’ve seen an S shaped like a sock, an M turned into a mustache, or an A that looks like an apple. Those pictures aren’t just there to make the alphabet look cute (but they are cute…) They’re called embedded mnemonics, and they’re actually based on decades of research about how children learn letters and sounds.

As a kindergarten teacher, I’ve always believed that learning should make sense to children and be fun! Learning sounds is one of the first big challenges our students face, and if we can make those abstract letters and sounds more meaningful, we can help children build stronger foundations for reading.

What Is an Embedded Mnemonic?

Let’s start with the word mnemonic. A mnemonic is simply a memory tool. Adults use mnemonics all the time, even if we don’t realize it. Maybe you’ve learned the colors of the rainbow using “ROY G. BIV” or remembered the order of the planets with “My very excited mother just served us nine pizzas!”

An embedded mnemonic is a picture where the letter itself becomes part of the illustration.

Instead of placing a picture of a snake beside the letter S, the snake is actually shaped like the letter. Instead of putting a mountain next to M, the mountain forms the letter. It may seem like a small difference, but it’s actually powerful.

Now the child isn’t just looking at a random symbol. They’re seeing something that they know and connect with while also learning the letter’s shape and sound.

Instead of memorizing disconnected information, they’re building meaningful connections.

Why Learning Sounds Is Harder Than We Think

As adults, we forget just how abstract letters and sounds really are. When you see the letter b, your brain instantly knows its name, its sound, and all of the words it can help create. But for a five-year-old? It’s just two circles attached to a line. Letters don’t naturally have meaning.

Unlike a picture of a dog or a ball, letters are symbols. Children must learn that those symbols represent the sounds they hear in spoken language. That’s a huge cognitive leap, and it doesn’t happen automatically. This is why alphabet instruction is so important.

Before children can decode words, spell words, or become fluent readers, they need to develop strong knowledge of letter names and letter sounds. Embedded mnemonics simply make that learning process a little easier.

Why Do Embedded Mnemonics Work?

Our brains are constantly looking for patterns and connections because we like things organized (unlike my classroom…).

It’s much easier to remember information when it’s connected to something we already know. Imagine asking a child to memorize this: “This is the letter M. It says /m/.”

Now imagine showing them a mustache that’s shaped like the letter m. “Mustache starts with /m/. Look closely…the mustache is actually the letter m!”

Suddenly, that abstract symbol has meaning. Instead of remembering one isolated fact, the child is connecting:

• the picture
• the letter shape
• the beginning sound
• a familiar word

The brain now has multiple ways to retrieve the same information. Educational psychologists call this dual coding, meaning information is easier to remember when it’s stored both visually and verbally.

Embedded mnemonics naturally take advantage of this idea by pairing an image with the printed letter and its sound.

What Does the Research Say?

One of the earliest studies examining embedded mnemonics was conducted by researchers Linnea Ehri, Nancy Deffner, and Linda Wilce in 1984. They wanted to know whether children would learn letter–sound relationships more effectively when letters were embedded into meaningful pictures.

The answer was yes. Children who learned with embedded mnemonic pictures remembered letter–sound relationships better than children who learned letters presented by themselves.

Since then, additional studies have found similar results.

Researchers have discovered that embedded mnemonics can improve children’s learning of letter sounds, especially during the early stages of reading instruction. More importantly, studies suggest that the picture is most effective as a temporary support. As children gain confidence with letters and sounds, they naturally begin recognizing the plain printed letters without relying on the picture.

More recently, the Reading League summarized decades of research on alphabet instruction and concluded that embedded mnemonics can be an effective tool when used alongside systematic, explicit phonics instruction.

Notice the key phrase there. Alongside explicit phonics instruction. The pictures don’t teach children to read. Teachers do. The pictures simply help children remember. So we started pairing embedded mnemonics with our TKS BOOTCAMP phonics instruction and saw a noticeable improvement in how kids learned the sounds, letters, and how they were able to use those sounds and letters to read and write.

Not All Embedded Mnemonics Are Created Equal

This is one of the biggest misconceptions I see. Just because an alphabet has cute pictures doesn’t mean it’s an effective instructional tool. A strong embedded mnemonic should do a few important things.

First, the picture should begin with the correct sound. If the picture doesn’t start with the target phoneme, the connection becomes confusing. This is why we spent almost a year working with Science of Reading expert, Holly Ehle (she studied at Harvard, ya’ll), making sure our embedded mnemonics were accurate. And just so you know, we used egg for e and T-rex for x!

Second, the letter should still be easy to recognize. Sometimes artwork becomes so elaborate that children can’t actually see the letter anymore. At that point, the mnemonic loses much of its instructional value.

Third, the object should be familiar to young learners. Children shouldn’t have to learn a new vocabulary word before they can learn the letter. We used cookie, fire, mustache, egg, and taco, just to name a few!

Finally, the artwork should be simple enough that it highlights the important information instead of distracting from it.

Good instructional design isn’t about making something prettier. It’s about making learning easier.

Will Children Become Dependent on the Picture?

This is probably the question I hear most often. The short answer is no.

Think about training wheels on a bicycle. They’re incredibly helpful while children are learning balance, but eventually they aren’t needed anymore.

Embedded mnemonics work the same way. The picture helps establish the connection between the printed letter and its sound. As children continue reading, writing, spelling, and practicing phonics, they gradually stop relying on the picture because the letter itself has become familiar.

Eventually, they simply see M and immediately think /m/.

The scaffold quietly disappears because the learning has become automatic.

That’s exactly what we want.

How I Use Embedded Mnemonics in My Classroom

In my classroom, embedded mnemonics are never THE lesson. They’re one tool within a much larger phonics routine.

When we introduce a new letter, we learn the sound first. We connect that sound to a familiar keyword. We explore the embedded mnemonic and talk about how the picture forms the letter.

Then we make our ABC BOOTCAMP circle chart or TKS BOOTCAMP circle chart. This allows us to connect the sound or phonics pattern to known words or objects, creating memory pegs in the brain.

Then we can use the sound to decode words, spell words, build words, and more!

We also use our embedded mnemonics for word-building activities, games, and our favorite: mystery words!

The embedded mnemonic gives children another pathway for remembering what they’re learning, but it’s all of the repeated practice that helps those connections become automatic.

Why I Continue Using Embedded Mnemonics

After 17 years in kindergarten, I’ve learned that kids do better when learning is meaningful. Anything that helps connect sounds, letters, language, and memory in developmentally appropriate ways is worth paying attention to.

Embedded mnemonics aren’t a magic solution. They won’t replace strong phonics instruction. They won’t teach children to read on their own. But they can make one of the hardest parts of beginning reading a little more manageable.

And sometimes that’s exactly what our youngest learners need.

One meaningful connection. One memorable picture. One more pathway that helps everything click.

More Ideas For Embedded Mnemonics In The Classroom

We even created alphabet posters with embedded mnemonics.

If you’re ready to start using embedded mnemonics in your classroom, we have everything you need:

Letter Sound Cards (A-Z)

Mnemonic Sound Cards (All 44 sounds with the most common spellings)

Mnemonic Alphabet Resource to use with our Letter Sounds Cards for A-Z!

We also have our TKS BOOTCAMP Kit, which includes ABC BOOTCAMP for explicit phonics instruction and the same clipart that matches the mnemonics is used throughout the curriculum for consistency and repetition!

FREE FILE! CLICK THE IMAGE TO GET YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD!

For more ideas, check out these blog posts:

References

Ehri, L. C., Deffner, N. D., & Wilce, L. S. (1984). Pictorial mnemonics for phonics.

de Graaff, S., Bosman, A. M. T., Hasselman, F., & Verhoeven, L. (2007). Research on integrated picture mnemonics and letter-sound instruction.

The Reading League. (2025). Brick by Brick: Insights on Alphabet Instruction from Research.

Paivio, A. (1986). Mental Representations: A Dual Coding Approach.