I decided to make this separate thread in the general memory chat area to offer up a guide to the new card/number/binary system that I just finished designing. This can be a place to talk about specific details of the system and its use.
My training journal thread can be visited if you want any background on the process that I went through developing it, and if you care to follow along as I look to really learn it to fluency and implement it.
So without further ado… Here is a guide to the “TIM SYSTEM”
“TIM” stands for “Translated Index Method.”
The TIM SYSTEM is an advanced approach to playing-card memorization at competition-level speeds (under one minute to memorize a deck.) It is designed as a “true” 2-card system that provides a unique and specific phonetic assignment to every possible pair of cards that can occur in a 52-card standard deck. It also accounts for “double pairs” where both cards are the same, which could occur if two or more decks are shuffled together.
The end result is a set of 2704 unique mnemonic elements where each one represents a single pair of cards. This is accomplished using a consistent index translation structure where every card pair’s indices are read in the same order, and every component generates a singular sound.
This system is based on the foundation of the Major System for memorizing numbers, with some additional restrictions and expansions. As a bonus, by virtue of the phonetic assignments, this system also contains complete Major-based 3-digit and 2-digit number/image lists. As a double-bonus, elements from this list can be used to encode the complete set of 9-digit binary sequences (or 10 digits using an additional technique described at the end.)
Before we begin, an important note about “sound” vs. “spelling” in this system:
It is worth reinforcing that this system, like Major, is a sound-based phonetic system, not a letter-based system.
This means that the “S” sound “sss” can be made by the letter S as in “Sea” or the letter C as in “Ceiling.” Same with the “F” sound being made by the letter F or the PH blend, and other assigned sounds that can be made by various letters and combinations.
Also note that if the spelling of a word contains double letters that form a single sound it only counts as one instance of that sound. For example: “JeSSiCa” would be translated J-S-K, even though there are two “S” letters together, they only form a single “S” sound. Similarly “JeFF” represents J-F, not J-F-F. The spelling doesn’t matter. The sound does.
Due to this requirement, this system may not be feasible or ideal for use with some accents and languages. My native language is English, with a New England American accent, so the sounds specified in this guide are what map the best for me. You’ll need to determine for yourself if this system is one that will fit with your individual language and dialect.
On to the fine details…
THE BASIC STRUCTURE FOR READING ANY CARD PAIR:
First, read the suit combination
Then, read card 1’s value
Last, read card 2’s value
SUIT COMBINATIONS AND THEIR PHONETIC ASSIGNMENTS:
There are 16 possible two-suit combinations.
Note: The suit combinations that each sound is paired with is arbitrary. If you want to reassign these phonetics to different suit combinations that are more intuitive to you, feel free.
I’ve listed an associated number for 10 of the suit combinations in order to show how this corresponds to the first digit in the built-in number system. If using this system strictly as a card memorizing technique, the “number” column can be disregarded, but why not kill two birds with one stone?
Here are the phonetic assignments:
| SUIT COMBO | SOUND | NUMBER | SPELLING VARIATIONS |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
S | 0 | like in Sea or Ceiling |
 |
T | 1 | |
 |
N | 2 | |
 |
M | 3 | |
| |
R | 4 | |
| |
L | 5 | |
| |
J | 6 | Like in Jam or Germ or JuDGe or DJinn |
| |
K | 7 | Like in Kitten or Cat or iCK |
| |
F | 8 | Like in Fly or in PHone |
| |
P | 9 | |
| |
D | ||
| |
B | ||
| |
V | ||
| |
G* | Hard G, as in Good | |
| |
W | ||
| |
H |
PHONETIC ASSIGNMENTS FOR THE CARD VALUES:
The numerical values (with Ace representing 1, and 10 representing 0) follow the primary phonetic assignments from the Major System. However, in a slight break from classic Major rules, each value is restricted to a SINGLE phonetic. The only exception to this rule is for words that end with an S where the S makes a soft Z sound, usually when indicating a plural. A word like “FaCeS” would be allowed, but “LaSeR” would not.
The only card value that has a different phonetic assignment depending on if it is the first or second value in a pair is the King. If the King is the second value in a pair, it is silent.
All other values are read as the same sound regardless of pair positioning.
| CARD VALUE | 1st Position Sound | 2nd Position Sound |
|---|---|---|
| 10 (0) | S | S/Z |
| ACE (1) | T | T |
| 2 | N | N |
| 3 | M | M |
| 4 | R | R |
| 5 | L | L |
| 6 | J | J |
| 7 | K | K |
| 8 | F | F |
| 9 | P | P |
| Jack | D | D |
| Queen | B | B |
| King | V | silent |
A COUPLE IMPORTANT RULES TO FOLLOW WHEN CONSTRUCTING WORDS AND PHRASES:
RESTRICTIONS ON THE USE OF W, H, Y, and VOWEL SOUNDS:
Usually, the traditional Major System rules will allow for vowels as free sounds, along with W, H, and Y sounds. In this system, there are some restrictions for when these sounds can be used.
All card pairs should be assigned words or phrases that have NO leading vowel or traditionally free sounds.
This is to provide a consistent first sound for every pair with no guessing about if there was an extra “free” sound at the start. This significantly increases ease of reading the pairs and reduces time to build them to fluency during recognition practice. The W, H, Y, and Vowel sounds my still freely be used as “filler” sounds after the first representative sound of the word has occurred.
STRUCTURAL RESTRICTIONS FOR PAIRS WITH KINGS IN THE SECOND POSITION:
Because the Kings in second position are silent, there should be NO extra trailing sounds for pairs that contain them. Here’s why. The only sounds that “matter” in this system for representing information are typically the first three sounds of any pair. This means that in most situations it is totally fine to add extra sounds beyond the first three in order to construct a meaningful word or phrase.
For example: if the phonetic requirements are “L-K-F,” you could use a phrase like “LeaKy Faucet.” This contains two extra consonant sounds that if strictly read out as a Major System number phrase would add two digits to the sequence resulting in “L-K-F-S-T.” In this system those extra sounds beyond the first three are disregarded. The user simply understands that only the first three matter and that those are the only sounds that encode information about the card pair or number it represents.
Now, when considering Kings in the second position, because they are silent, there are only TWO representative sounds that encode information about their pairs or the numbers they represent. If “extra” trailing sounds are included in these pairs, there could be potential confusion when recalling and hesitation when reading them. If we limit the King-second pairs to only TWO consonant sounds, there will be no confusion. They will clearly stand out as representing those “silent King” pairs. The other advantage to limiting these pairs in this way, is that these will naturally generate equivilent 2-digit numbers when reading their sounds via the Major System. By constructing your King-second pairs with this limitation, you are creating a complete built-in 2-digit number system that won’t conflict or be confused with any of your 3-digit imagery from the other pairs.
HOW TO READ A TYPICAL CARD PAIR AND CHOOSE A WORD OR PHRASE FOR IT:
Example:
[2][7]
Start by looking at the suit combination for the pair:
This suit combination is associated with the “T” sound.
Next, look at the value of the first card: “2”
The 2 is associated with the “N” sound.
Finally, look at the value of the second card: “7”
The 7 is associated with the “K” sound.
So, [2][7] is read as “T-N-K.”
By filling in gaps between the representational sounds with “free” sounds, you could come up with something like “TaNK” or “TiNK.” This is a situation where trailing consonant sounds ARE allowed, so you could also use something like “TiN Cup” or “TiNKer toys” if that is a more natural association for you.
AN EXAMPLE OF A KING-SECOND PAIR:
[Ace][King]
The suit combination is read as the “K” sound.
The Ace is read as a “T”
The King is in second position, so it is “silent.”
So, [Ace][King] is read as “K-T”
By filling in the gap you might come up with something like “CaT” or “KiTe.”
In this situation, you should NOT use any trailing sounds because it could cause a conflict with other pairs. If you went with “CoTTon,” it would conflict with [Ace][2], which is read as “K-T-N.”
BONUS FEATURE: SINGLE CARD TECHNIQUE VIA “KING-SECOND” PAIRS:
For those just starting out with this system, or those new to memorizing cards in general, it is possible to begin by creating a 52 element “single card” list. This can be useful for those who want to explore the system a bit and see how the mapping works for all the values. It takes advantage of the fact that Kings in the second position are silent. These pairs can be mapped to single cards for a quick “beginner friendly” association list. Then, when you’re ready, you can move up to the full 2-card system.
To determine the suit sound for a single card, use the suit combo phonetic for the double suit combo of the same suit:
For , use the sound assigned to (default is “S”)
For , use the sound assigned to (default is “R”)
For , use the sound assigned to (default is “K”)
For , use the sound assigned to (default is “G”)
For values, use the standard TIM System associations.
The resulting phonetics for single cards will match card pairs that have a silent King of the same suit as their second card. In this way, the words used for those entries will fully translate across single and 2-card lists.
Here’s an example:
[Ace]
Read the suit first… = K (the same as )
Read the value second… Ace = T
K-T = CaT (the same word is used for the two-card pair of [Ace][King])
One more:
[7]
= R
7 = K
R-K = RoCK (same as [7 ][King])
USING THE TIM SYSTEM TO MEMORIZE NUMBERS:
Because there is consistency in the phonetic mapping of values for the cards, you can simply use their phonetics for two-digit and three-digit numbers as well.
Example:
You want to memorize the number 127.
Use the value phonetics to translate:
1 = T
2 = N
7 = K
127 = T-N-K
You already have an association built for T-N-K because it is the structure for [2][7], so use the same for 127. “TaNK”
You can do the same for 2-digit numbers.
Example:
You want to memorize the number 71.
7 = K
1 = T
71 = K-T
You already have an association for K-T via the card pair [Ace][King], so use that for 71 as well. “CaT”
BONUS: BINARY DIGITS:
Because this system contains a complete 3-digit number list, you can use this list to memorize binary sequences as well. Each 3-digit number from 000-777 that contains the digits 0-7 can be used to represent a 9-digit binary sequence.
Here’s how:
Each single digit number from 0-7 can be represented as a three-digit binary sequence. There are only eight of these translations to learn:
| DECIMAL # | BINARY |
|---|---|
| 0 | 0-0-0 |
| 1 | 0-0-1 |
| 2 | 0-1-0 |
| 3 | 0-1-1 |
| 4 | 1-0-0 |
| 5 | 1-0-1 |
| 6 | 1-1-0 |
| 7 | 1-1-1 |
By using your three-digit list that is built into the TIM SYSTEM, you can convert each digit into it’s binary sequence and vice versa.
Example:
You want to memorize “001-010-111”
001 = 1
010 = 2
111 = 7
127 = T-N-K, or “TaNK”
So, 001-010-111 translates to “TaNK,” the association you already have for [Ace][King] and the number 127.
This translation allows you to encode 9 binary digits per mnemonic element. If you use a memory palace technique and create scenes that combine two elements per location, you can memorize a sequence of 90 binary digits using just 5 simple scenes.
ADVANCED BINARY TECHNIQUE FOR 10-DIGIT ENCODING (2-BLOCK TECHNIQUE):
It’s possible to push the binary digit aspect of this system to an additional digit by using a 2-block style approach.
This is accomplished by considering the first digit of a 10-digit binary sequence to be an “indicator digit.”
If this indicator digit is a “0”, then encode your element and create your scene as normal.
If the indicator digit is a “1”, then you’ll need to include some kind of “indicator” into your scene.
This can be as simple as adding some kind of quality to the element, like imagining it damaged in some way, or coated in fire or blood. Something memorable that affects that single element. Then, when you do your recall, if you remember that element having that distinct extra quality to it, you’ll know there was a “1” preceding its usual 9-digit binary sequence. If the element is “normal” then you know that its indicator digit was a 0.
There are many other ways to differentiate sets using a 2-block structure, including Variable Image Stacking, Positional or Motion Blocking, etc. A search around the forum will provide some ideas.
And speaking of 2-block ideas…
THE TIM SYSTEM CAN ALSO BE BUILT AS A 2-BLOCK CARD SYSTEM:
If the idea of learning 2704 associations is simply too much, the TIM System can be learned as a 2-block card system by using variable image stacking or any other technique to indicate which “block” of pairs should be recalled. For the purposes of these instructions, I’ll assume you’re familiar with how 2-block systems work.
This eliminates some of the big advantages of this system, namely having a unique image for every card pair and being able to structure your memory palaces for exactly the number of elements per loci that you wish to use, but nevertheless, some may find a 2-block setup and its 1352 associations a little bit more attainable.
Keep in mind, if you use this system in “2-block” mode and then later on decide that you want to expand to the full 2704 pair system, you will need to “overwrite” the associations that you’ve trained for half of the pairs and remap phonetic assignments for the eight “alternate” suit combinations. This is absolutely doable, but is a pretty large undertaking.
To use the TIM System in 2-block mode, match up two suit combinations per phonetic, designating the black-first suit combo as the “primary” and the red-first suit combo as the “alternate.” You’ll associate the same sound for both suit combinations. This sound should be the one that the TIM system designates for the “primary” black-first suit combo. (Note: if you prefer, you can designate the red-first suit combo as the “primary” and its black-first counterpart as the “alternate” for the purposes of triggering your 2-block indicator.)
The way I pair the suit combos is to replace or invert the suit colors with their “opposite” suits. Spades with Hearts, Clubs with Diamonds.
When the pair has two different color suits, the complimentary pair is just those suits in reverse. This means that a pair like reverses and pairs with .
When the pair has the same color suits, they are replaced with their opposite colors. This holds whether the suits in a pair are the same or different.
As an example, pairs with its opposite, .
For a pair, the suits are replaced with their opposites: .
Values are NEVER swapped. This means that [2][Jack] is matched with [2][Jack].
Here are the complete pairings following those rules:
and = “S” (0)
and = “T” (1)
and = “N” (2)
and = “M” (3)
and = “L” (5)
and = “J” (6)
and = “K” (7)
and = “P” (9)
With these mappings, you’ll have 800 out of the 1000 three-digit numbers accounted for. To complete a 3-digit number list (and future-proof your card list if you ever want to expand to the full 2-card system), you’d need to fill in 400-499 (using “R” for 4) and 800-899 (using “F” for 8.) Those resulting number words will map directly to entries in the full card list and you won’t “waste” any effort later if you decide to expand. This brings the total number of associations needed for the 2-block card system plus complete 3-digit system to 1552.
RECOMENDATIONS FOR MEMORIZATION USING THE SYSTEM:
Since every card pair generates a unique mnemonic element, you have many options for how to use them to memorize a deck. A highly effective and recommended technique is to use a Memory Palace (journey, method of loci, etc). You can integrate any number of card pair elements at each location/landmark, but typically less complex scenes are quicker and easier to create, recall, and decode.
I recommend starting with two card-pair elements per scene, allowing you to encode four individual cards per location. With two pairs per scene, you only need to use 13 total scenes to memorize a complete deck.
You can apply the same approach to memorizing long sequences of numbers. You can create scenes with two elements interacting and store 6 digits at each location. Using this approach you can memorize a sequence of numbers 78 digits long using just 13 locations.
If you use three mnemonic elements per scene, the number of locations is compressed to just 9 for a deck of cards or 81 digits.
GOOGLE DOC WITH METHOD AND WORKSHEET, DOWNLOADABLE ANKI DECK TEMPLATE:
I’ve created a shareable google doc that contains this guide and a tab that lists every possible card pair combination, along with the phonetic structure and (where applicable) an associated number for each one. This can be used as a worksheet for filling in the entries to customize the system with your own words, phrases, and imagery. The doc is read-only so you’ll have to download a local copy to edit it and use it for your own list.
I’ve also shared an Anki deck template for this system and included a download link in this post. All 2704 card pairs have associated notes with the card pair images included, along with fields that you can edit with your own words and images for your entries. Each applicable card that also represent a 2 or 3 digit number also has its “number” field filled in, and the associated binary sequences for the 512 binary entries have the “binary” field filled. If you know your way around Anki, it should be fairly easy to create cards for the complete number and binary systems from these notes if you wish. Each note is also tagged for suit combos, numerical sets of 100’s and 10’s, and the set of binary entries, and they are sorted into subdecks for each suit combo to make the initial learning process easier to manage.
I hope you found this an interesting read and that if you’re considering jumping into a large system, you’ll give this one some thought.
Please share any comments or questions about this system here. Looking forward to seeing what you all think of it!
-Tim
] would be pronounced S-N, just like the pair [2 