I don't know if I really have a method, but every time I heard it, as a kid, I thought of anemones, and I kept them straight by remembering M for memory. Later, of course, I'd read about Mnemosyne, and after that it was easy. Mnemosyne, after all, is the goddess of memory.
I'm a native Italian speaker and I don't see any spelling difficulty at all, what is the problem? The unusual 'mn' group, which is only two letters and closely associated with this specific root? The existence of more common words starting with 'memo-' instead of 'mnemo-'?
What makes it difficult, besides the unique spelling (I can't think of other English words beginning with 'mn'), is the fact that the initial 'mn' is pronounced 'n', unlike every other English word sharing a root with memory/Mnemosyne. (Indeed, this pronunciation of 'mn' as 'n' also differs from common pronunciations of 'mn' when it appears in the middle of a word [amnesty: 'mn'] or at the end of a word [pronounced in autumn 'm'].) Which letter of the two, if either, is silent? We must remember 'mnemonic' maintains its own unique rule.
And further, 'mnemonic' contains an additional 'm' and 'n' (separately) after the first 'mn'. So when I scan the word, I recognize 'm' as the first letter and put my lips together. Then I get ready to alternate between 'm' and 'n' (as in cinnammon), but get confused about which one to start with and how many there are.
Comments
I don't know if I really have a method, but every time I heard it, as a kid, I thought of anemones, and I kept them straight by remembering M for memory. Later, of course, I'd read about Mnemosyne, and after that it was easy. Mnemosyne, after all, is the goddess of memory.
I type M then N then Ctrl+Space.
Google reveals at least two: "Monkey Nut Eating Means Old Nutshells In Carpet" and "My Nasty Editor Might Occasionally Not Interpret Commas"
I'm a native Italian speaker and I don't see any spelling difficulty at all, what is the problem? The unusual 'mn' group, which is only two letters and closely associated with this specific root? The existence of more common words starting with 'memo-' instead of 'mnemo-'?
What makes it difficult, besides the unique spelling (I can't think of other English words beginning with 'mn'), is the fact that the initial 'mn' is pronounced 'n', unlike every other English word sharing a root with memory/Mnemosyne. (Indeed, this pronunciation of 'mn' as 'n' also differs from common pronunciations of 'mn' when it appears in the middle of a word [amnesty: 'mn'] or at the end of a word [pronounced in autumn 'm'].) Which letter of the two, if either, is silent? We must remember 'mnemonic' maintains its own unique rule.
And further, 'mnemonic' contains an additional 'm' and 'n' (separately) after the first 'mn'. So when I scan the word, I recognize 'm' as the first letter and put my lips together. Then I get ready to alternate between 'm' and 'n' (as in cinnammon), but get confused about which one to start with and how many there are.
think demonic with an 'mn'