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Created April 12, 2022 18:43
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Mnemonic Encoding Word List

Mnemonic Encoding Word List

http://web.archive.org/web/20090918202746/http://tothink.com/mnemonic/wordlist.html

  • The wordlist contains 1626 words.
  • All words are between 4 and 7 letters long.
  • No word in the list is a prefix of another word (e.g. visit, visitor).
  • Five letter prefixes of words are sufficient to be unique.
  • The words should be usable by people all over the world. The list is far from perfect in that respect. It is heavily biased towards western culture and English in particular. The international vocabulary is simply not big enough. One can argue that even words like "hotel" or "radio" are not truly international. You will find many English words in the list but I have tried to limit them to words that are part of a beginner's vocabulary or words that have close relatives in other european languages. In some cases a word has a different meaning in another language or is pronounced very differently but for the purpose of the encoding it is still ok - I assume that when the encoding is used for spoken communication both sides speak the same language.
  • The words should have more than one syllable. This makes them easier to recognize when spoken, especially over a phone line. Again, you will find many exceptions. For one syllable words I have tried to use words with 3 or more consonants or words with diphthongs, making for a longer and more distinct pronounciation. As a result of this requirement the average word length has increased. I do not consider this to be a problem since my goal in limiting the word length was not to reduce the average length of encoded data but to limit the maximum length to fit in fixed-size fields or a terminal line width.
  • No two words on the list should sound too much alike. Soundalikes such as "sweet" and "suite" are ruled out. One of the two is chosen and the other should be accepted by the decoder's soundalike matching code or using explicit aliases for some words.
  • No offensive words. The rule was to avoid words that I would not like to be printed on my business card. I have extended this to words that by themselves are not offensive but are too likely to create combinations that someone may find embarrassing or offensive. This includes words dealing with religion such as "church" or "jewish" and some words with negative meanings like "problem" or "fiasco". I am sure that a creative mind (or a random number generator) can find plenty of embarrasing or offensive word combinations using only words in the list but I have tried to avoid the more obvious ones. One of my tools for this was simply a generator of random word combinations - the problematic ones stick out like a sore thumb.
  • Avoid words with tricky spelling or pronounciation. Even if the receiver of the message can probably spell the word close enough for the soundalike matcher to recognize it correctly I prefer avoiding such words. I believe this will help users feel more comfortable using the system, increase the level of confidence and decrease the overall error rate. Most words in the list can be spelled more or less correctly from hearing, even without knowing the word.
  • The word should feel right for the job. I know, this one is very subjective but some words would meet all the criteria and still not feel right for the purpose of mnemonic encoding. The word should feel like one of the words in the radio phonetic alphabets (alpha, bravo, charlie, delta etc).

The Word List

acrobat  africa   alaska   albert   albino   album    
alcohol  alex     alpha    amadeus  amanda   amazon   
america  analog   animal   antenna  antonio  apollo   
april    aroma    artist   aspirin  athlete  atlas    
banana   bandit   banjo    bikini   bingo    bonus    
camera   canada   carbon   casino   catalog  cinema   
citizen  cobra    comet    compact  complex  context  
credit   critic   crystal  culture  david    delta    
dialog   diploma  doctor   domino   dragon   drama    
extra    fabric   final    focus    forum    galaxy   
gallery  global   harmony  hotel    humor    index    
japan    kilo     lemon    liter    lotus    mango    
melon    menu     meter    metro    mineral  model    
music    object   piano    pirate   plastic  radio    
report   signal   sport    studio   subject  super    
tango    taxi     tempo    tennis   textile  tokyo    
total    tourist  video    visa     academy  alfred   
atlanta  atomic   barbara  bazaar   brother  budget   
cabaret  cadet    candle   capsule  caviar   channel  
chapter  circle   cobalt   comrade  condor   crimson  
cyclone  darwin   declare  denver   desert   divide   
dolby    domain   double   eagle    echo     eclipse  
editor   educate  edward   effect   electra  emerald  
emotion  empire   eternal  evening  exhibit  expand   
explore  extreme  ferrari  forget   freedom  friday   
fuji     galileo  genesis  gravity  habitat  hamlet   
harlem   helium   holiday  hunter   ibiza    iceberg  
imagine  infant   isotope  jackson  jamaica  jasmine  
java     jessica  kitchen  lazarus  letter   license  
lithium  loyal    lucky    magenta  manual   marble   
maxwell  mayor    monarch  monday   money    morning  
mother   mystery  native   nectar   nelson   network  
nikita   nobel    nobody   nominal  norway   nothing  
number   october  office   oliver   opinion  option   
order    outside  package  pandora  panther  papa     
pattern  pedro    pencil   people   phantom  philips  
pioneer  pluto    podium   portal   potato   process  
proxy    pupil    python   quality  quarter  quiet    
rabbit   radical  radius   rainbow  ramirez  ravioli  
raymond  respect  respond  result   resume   richard  
river    roger    roman    rondo    sabrina  salary   
salsa    sample   samuel   saturn   savage   scarlet  
scorpio  sector   serpent  shampoo  sharon   silence  
simple   society  sonar    sonata   soprano  sparta   
spider   sponsor  abraham  action   active   actor    
adam     address  admiral  adrian   agenda   agent    
airline  airport  alabama  aladdin  alarm    algebra  
alibi    alice    alien    almond   alpine   amber    
amigo    ammonia  analyze  anatomy  angel    annual   
answer   apple    archive  arctic   arena    arizona  
armada   arnold   arsenal  arthur   asia     aspect   
athena   audio    august   austria  avenue   average  
axiom    aztec    bagel    baker    balance  ballad   
ballet   bambino  bamboo   baron    basic    basket   
battery  belgium  benefit  berlin   bermuda  bernard  
bicycle  binary   biology  bishop   blitz    block    
blonde   bonjour  boris    boston   bottle   boxer    
brandy   bravo    brazil   bridge   british  bronze   
brown    bruce    bruno    brush    burger   burma    
cabinet  cactus   cafe     cairo    calypso  camel    
campus   canal    cannon   canoe    cantina  canvas   
canyon   capital  caramel  caravan  career   cargo    
carlo    carol    carpet   cartel   cartoon  castle   
castro   cecilia  cement   center   century  ceramic  
chamber  chance   change   chaos    charlie  charm    
charter  cheese   chef     chemist  cherry   chess    
chicago  chicken  chief    china    cigar    circus   
city     clara    classic  claudia  clean    client   
climax   clinic   clock    club     cockpit  coconut  
cola     collect  colombo  colony   color    combat   
comedy   command  company  concert  connect  consul   
contact  contour  control  convert  copy     corner   
corona   correct  cosmos   couple   courage  cowboy   
craft    crash    cricket  crown    cuba     dallas   
dance    daniel   decade   decimal  degree   delete   
deliver  delphi   deluxe   demand   demo     denmark  
derby    design   detect   develop  diagram  diamond  
diana    diego    diesel   diet     digital  dilemma  
direct   disco    disney   distant  dollar   dolphin  
donald   drink    driver   dublin   duet     dynamic  
earth    east     ecology  economy  edgar    egypt    
elastic  elegant  element  elite    elvis    email    
empty    energy   engine   english  episode  equator  
escape   escort   ethnic   europe   everest  evident  
exact    example  exit     exotic   export   express  
factor   falcon   family   fantasy  fashion  fiber    
fiction  fidel    fiesta   figure   film     filter   
finance  finish   finland  first    flag     flash    
florida  flower   fluid    flute    folio    ford     
forest   formal   formula  fortune  forward  fragile  
france   frank    fresh    friend   frozen   future   
gabriel  gamma    garage   garcia   garden   garlic   
gemini   general  genetic  genius   germany  gloria   
gold     golf     gondola  gong     good     gordon   
gorilla  grand    granite  graph    green    group    
guide    guitar   guru     hand     happy    harbor   
harvard  havana   hawaii   helena   hello    henry    
hilton   history  horizon  house    human    icon     
idea     igloo    igor     image    impact   import   
india    indigo   input    insect   instant  iris     
italian  jacket   jacob    jaguar   janet    jargon   
jazz     jeep     john     joker    jordan   judo     
jumbo    june     jungle   junior   jupiter  karate   
karma    kayak    kermit   king     koala    korea    
labor    lady     lagoon   laptop   laser    latin    
lava     lecture  left     legal    level    lexicon  
liberal  libra    lily     limbo    limit    linda    
linear   lion     liquid   little   llama    lobby    
lobster  local    logic    logo     lola     london   
lucas    lunar    machine  macro    madam    madonna  
madrid   maestro  magic    magnet   magnum   mailbox  
major    mama     mambo    manager  manila   marco    
marina   market   mars     martin   marvin   mary     
master   matrix   maximum  media    medical  mega     
melody   memo     mental   mentor   mercury  message  
metal    meteor   method   mexico   miami    micro    
milk     million  minimum  minus    minute   miracle  
mirage   miranda  mister   mixer    mobile   modem    
modern   modular  moment   monaco   monica   monitor  
mono     monster  montana  morgan   motel    motif    
motor    mozart   multi    museum   mustang  natural  
neon     nepal    neptune  nerve    neutral  nevada   
news     next     ninja    nirvana  normal   nova     
novel    nuclear  numeric  nylon    oasis    observe  
ocean    octopus  olivia   olympic  omega    opera    
optic    optimal  orange   orbit    organic  orient   
origin   orlando  oscar    oxford   oxygen   ozone    
pablo    pacific  pagoda   palace   pamela   panama   
pancake  panda    panel    panic    paradox  pardon   
paris    parker   parking  parody   partner  passage  
passive  pasta    pastel   patent   patient  patriot  
patrol   pegasus  pelican  penguin  pepper   percent  
perfect  perfume  period   permit   person   peru     
phone    photo    picasso  picnic   picture  pigment  
pilgrim  pilot    pixel    pizza    planet   plasma   
plaza    pocket   poem     poetic   poker    polaris  
police   politic  polo     polygon  pony     popcorn  
popular  postage  precise  prefix   premium  present  
price    prince   printer  prism    private  prize    
product  profile  program  project  protect  proton   
public   pulse    puma     pump     pyramid  queen    
radar    ralph    random   rapid    rebel    record   
recycle  reflex   reform   regard   regular  relax    
reptile  reverse  ricardo  right    ringo    risk     
ritual   robert   robot    rocket   rodeo    romeo    
royal    russian  safari   salad    salami   salmon   
salon    salute   samba    sandra   santana  sardine  
school   scoop    scratch  screen   script   scroll   
second   secret   section  segment  select   seminar  
senator  senior   sensor   serial   service  shadow   
sharp    sheriff  shock    short    shrink   sierra   
silicon  silk     silver   similar  simon    single   
siren    slang    slogan   smart    smoke    snake    
social   soda     solar    solid    solo     sonic    
source   soviet   special  speed    sphere   spiral   
spirit   spring   static   status   stereo   stone    
stop     street   strong   student  style    sultan   
susan    sushi    suzuki   switch   symbol   system   
tactic   tahiti   talent   tarzan   telex    texas    
theory   thermos  tiger    titanic  tomato   topic    
tornado  toronto  torpedo  totem    tractor  traffic  
transit  trapeze  travel   tribal   trick    trident  
trilogy  tripod   tropic   trumpet  tulip    tuna     
turbo    twist    ultra    uniform  union    uranium  
vacuum   valid    vampire  vanilla  vatican  velvet   
ventura  venus    vertigo  veteran  victor   vienna   
viking   village  vincent  violet   violin   virtual  
virus    vision   visitor  visual   vitamin  viva     
vocal    vodka    volcano  voltage  volume   voyage   
water    weekend  welcome  western  window   winter   
wizard   wolf     world    xray     yankee   yoga     
yogurt   yoyo     zebra    zero     zigzag   zipper   
zodiac   zoom     acid     adios    agatha   alamo    
alert    almanac  aloha    andrea   anita    arcade   
aurora   avalon   baby     baggage  balloon  bank     
basil    begin    biscuit  blue     bombay   botanic  
brain    brenda   brigade  cable    calibre  carmen   
cello    celtic   chariot  chrome   citrus   civil    
cloud    combine  common   cool     copper   coral    
crater   cubic    cupid    cycle    depend   door     
dream    dynasty  edison   edition  enigma   equal    
eric     event    evita    exodus   extend   famous   
farmer   food     fossil   frog     fruit    geneva   
gentle   george   giant    gilbert  gossip   gram     
greek    grille   hammer   harvest  hazard   heaven   
herbert  heroic   hexagon  husband  immune   inca     
inch     initial  isabel   ivory    jason    jerome   
joel     joshua   journal  judge    juliet   jump     
justice  kimono   kinetic  leonid   leopard  lima     
maze     medusa   member   memphis  michael  miguel   
milan    mile     miller   mimic    mimosa   mission  
monkey   moral    moses    mouse    nancy    natasha  
nebula   nickel   nina     noise    orchid   oregano  
origami  orinoco  orion    othello  paper    paprika  
prelude  prepare  pretend  promise  prosper  provide  
puzzle   remote   repair   reply    rival    riviera  
robin    rose     rover    rudolf   saga     sahara   
scholar  shelter  ship     shoe     sigma    sister   
sleep    smile    spain    spark    split    spray    
square   stadium  star     storm    story    strange  
stretch  stuart   subway   sugar    sulfur   summer   
survive  sweet    swim     table    taboo    target   
teacher  telecom  temple   tibet    ticket   tina     
today    toga     tommy    tower    trivial  tunnel   
turtle   twin     uncle    unicorn  unique   update   
valery   vega     version  voodoo   warning  william  
wonder   year     yellow   young    absent   absorb   
absurd   accent   alfonso  alias    ambient  anagram  
andy     anvil    appear   apropos  archer   ariel    
armor    arrow    austin   avatar   axis     baboon   
bahama   bali     balsa    barcode  bazooka  beach    
beast    beatles  beauty   before   benny    betty    
between  beyond   billy    bison    blast    bless    
bogart   bonanza  book     border   brave    bread    
break    broken   bucket   buenos   buffalo  bundle   
button   buzzer   byte     caesar   camilla  canary   
candid   carrot   cave     chant    child    choice   
chris    cipher   clarion  clark    clever   cliff    
clone    conan    conduct  congo    costume  cotton   
cover    crack    current  danube   data     decide   
deposit  desire   detail   dexter   dinner   donor    
druid    drum     easy     eddie    enjoy    enrico   
epoxy    erosion  except   exile    explain  fame     
fast     father   felix    field    fiona    fire     
fish     flame    flex     flipper  float    flood    
floor    forbid   forever  fractal  frame    freddie  
front    fuel     gallop   game     garbo    gate     
gelatin  gibson   ginger   giraffe  gizmo    glass    
goblin   gopher   grace    gray     gregory  grid     
griffin  ground   guest    gustav   gyro     hair     
halt     harris   heart    heavy    herman   hippie   
hobby    honey    hope     horse    hostel   hydro    
imitate  info     ingrid   inside   invent   invest   
invite   ivan     james    jester   jimmy    join     
joseph   juice    julius   july     kansas   karl     
kevin    kiwi     ladder   lake     laura    learn    
legacy   legend   lesson   life     light    list     
locate   lopez    lorenzo  love     lunch    malta    
mammal   margin   margo    marion   mask     match    
mayday   meaning  mercy    middle   mike     mirror   
modest   morph    morris   mystic   nadia    nato     
navy     needle   neuron   never    newton   nice     
night    nissan   nitro    nixon    north    oberon   
octavia  ohio     olga     open     opus     orca     
oval     owner    page     paint    palma    parent   
parlor   parole   paul     peace    pearl    perform  
phoenix  phrase   pierre   pinball  place    plate    
plato    plume    pogo     point    polka    poncho   
powder   prague   press    presto   pretty   prime    
promo    quest    quick    quiz     quota    race     
rachel   raja     ranger   region   remark   rent     
reward   rhino    ribbon   rider    road     rodent   
round    rubber   ruby     rufus    sabine   saddle   
sailor   saint    salt     scale    scuba    season   
secure   shake    shallow  shannon  shave    shelf    
sherman  shine    shirt    side     sinatra  sincere  
size     slalom   slow     small    snow     sofia    
song     sound    south    speech   spell    spend    
spoon    stage    stamp    stand    state    stella   
stick    sting    stock    store    sunday   sunset   
support  supreme  sweden   swing    tape     tavern   
think    thomas   tictac   time     toast    tobacco  
tonight  torch    torso    touch    toyota   trade    
tribune  trinity  triton   truck    trust    type     
under    unit     urban    urgent   user     value    
vendor   venice   verona   vibrate  virgo    visible  
vista    vital    voice    vortex   waiter   watch    
wave     weather  wedding  wheel    whiskey  wisdom   
android  annex    armani   cake     confide  deal     
define   dispute  genuine  idiom    impress  include  
ironic   null     nurse    obscure  prefer   prodigy  
ego      fax      jet      job      rio      ski      
yes
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