The most famous acronym to remember planets is really a sentence: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos, where the first letter of each word gives you Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in order from the Sun. It is one of dozens of memory aids that turn a hard list into a few easy letters.
This section collects the memory acronyms people search for most. Some come from the classroom, like PEMDAS for the order of operations. Others are printed on posters at work, like PASS next to a fire extinguisher, or taught in first aid classes, like BE FAST for stroke signs. Each one below links to a full page with every letter explained.
Quick facts
What they are
Short words or sentences built from the first letters of a listBest known
PEMDAS, RICE, PASS, FANBOYS, SMART goalsPlanets sentence
My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us NachosUsed in
School, first aid, fire safety, fitness, the workplaceThree kinds
Acronyms, acrostic sentences and backronymsRelated terms
Mnemonic, acrostic, initialism
The acronym to remember planets, letter by letter
The planet sentence works because each word starts with the same letter as a planet, and the words appear in the same order the planets circle the Sun, closest first.
| Word | Letter | Planet |
|---|---|---|
| My | M | Mercury |
| Very | V | Venus |
| Educated | E | Earth |
| Mother | M | Mars |
| Just | J | Jupiter |
| Served | S | Saturn |
| Us | U | Uranus |
| Nachos | N | Neptune |
Older textbooks ended the line with "Nine Pizzas," and the extra P stood for Pluto. Once Pluto was grouped with the dwarf planets, teachers dropped the last word and found a new ending. You will still see both versions, so the version a person learned tells you roughly when they went to school. Two Ms and two Ss sit in the list, which is why the sentence beats the bare letters MVEMJSUN: the words keep Mercury and Mars, or Saturn and Uranus, from trading places. More versions and tips are on the planets acronym page.
Safety and first aid acronyms
These are the memory aids you are most likely to see on a wall poster, a training slide or a card in a first aid kit. They are short on purpose, because people need to recall them under stress.
| Acronym | Stands for | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| BE FAST | Balance, Eyes, Face, Arms, Speech, Time | Stroke warning signs |
| RACE | Rescue, Alarm, Confine, Extinguish (or Evacuate) | Fire plans in hospitals and offices |
| PASS | Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep | Fire extinguisher labels |
| RICE | Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation | Sprain and strain care |
| ALICE | Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate | School and workplace drills |
| PACE | Primary, Alternate, Contingency, Emergency | Backup communication plans |
| HALT | Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired | Self check in recovery and wellness |
Classroom memory aids for math, grammar, music and science
Teachers lean on these because a student can say them in a second during a test.
- PEMDAS: the order of operations in math. Work in Parentheses first, then Exponents, then Multiplication and Division, then Addition and Subtraction. It is often taught as "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally."
- FANBOYS: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So. The seven coordinating conjunctions in English grammar.
- Bass clef: the lines G, B, D, F, A are "Good Boys Do Fine Always," and the spaces A, C, E, G are "All Cows Eat Grass."
- GUESA: Givens, Unknown, Equation, Substitute, Answer. A step plan for physics and chemistry word problems.
- STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics. Less a memory trick than a name for a group of subjects.
- FATTOM: Food, Acidity, Time, Temperature, Oxygen, Moisture. The six conditions germs need to grow, taught in food safety classes.
- FITT: Frequency, Intensity, Time, Type. The four settings of a workout plan in gym class.
Notice that PEMDAS also comes with a sentence. Many memory aids give you both: the letters for speed and a silly phrase for when the letters alone will not stick.
Work, goals and planning acronyms
Adults meet a second set of memory aids in job training, interviews and meetings.
| Acronym | Letters | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| SMART | Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound | Setting goals at work or school |
| STAR | Situation, Task, Action, Result | Answering interview questions |
| KISS | Keep it simple, stupid | Design and writing advice |
| SOAP | Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan | Medical and therapy notes |
In a job interview: "Tell me about a time you fixed a problem." A candidate who knows STAR describes the situation, the task they had, the action they took and the result, in that order, and stops.
SMART goals have a few versions. Some trainers say Attainable for the A or Realistic for the R, but the idea is the same.
Backronyms: when the words came after the letters
Some memory acronyms work backward. The word existed first, and someone later made up a phrase to fit its letters. These are called backronyms, and they are often shared as if they were the true origin.
- NEWS is said to mean North, East, West, South. That is a myth. The word news simply comes from new.
- BIBLE as Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth is a saying from sermons and youth groups. The word itself comes from Greek for books.
- FEAR is turned into False Evidence Appearing Real or Face Everything And Rise in self help talks.
- TULIP sums up five points of Calvinist teaching: Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace and Perseverance of the saints.
A backronym is still a fine memory aid. Just do not repeat it as the history of the word.
Acronym, acrostic or mnemonic: which is which
People use these words loosely, but they mean slightly different things.
- Mnemonic is the umbrella term for any memory trick, including rhymes and pictures.
- Acronym means the first letters form something you can say, such as RICE or PASS.
- Acrostic means the first letters start the words of a sentence, as in the planets line or "Every Good Boy Does Fine" for the treble clef lines.
The basics of how short forms are built are in what is an acronym, and the line between acronyms and other short forms is in acronym vs abbreviation.
Tips for learning a memory acronym quickly
- Learn the order first. PASS only helps if you pull the pin before you squeeze.
- Say it out loud. Hearing yourself say "Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation" fixes it faster than reading it.
- Picture it. A mother serving nachos is easier to remember than eight planet names.
- Check which version you were taught. RACE and SMART have more than one wording, and your workplace or school may test a specific one.
- Make your own. For a list nobody has a trick for yet, try the acronym generator and keep the result that is easiest to say.
Questions people ask
What is the acronym to remember the planets in order?
The common one is My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos, for Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Strictly speaking it is an acrostic sentence, because the letters MVEMJSUN do not spell a word.
Why did the planet sentence change?
Older versions ended with Nine Pizzas, and the P was for Pluto. When Pluto was moved to the dwarf planet group, the sentence was cut to eight words and given a new ending.
What is a mnemonic acronym?
It is a word built from the first letters of a list you need to remember, like RICE for Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. You say the word, and each letter cues the next item.
Are memory acronyms the same as backronyms?
Not always. A memory acronym is made to fit a list, while a backronym takes a word that already exists and invents a phrase for its letters, like NEWS for North, East, West, South.
Which memory acronyms are worth knowing for safety?
PASS for using a fire extinguisher, RACE for a fire plan, BE FAST for stroke signs and RICE for minor sprains are the ones taught most often in the United States.