How to Remember the 12 Cranial Nerves: Tips & Mnemonic Tricks

 
Quick Review of the 12 Cranial Nerves
Before diving into how to remember cranial nerves, let’s quickly review what they are.

Cranial nerves, which originate from the brain, control various functions in the head and neck like:

 	
Movement
 	
Sensation
 	
Vision

There are 12 pairs, and they’re numbered in the order they connect to the brain. For more information on each specific nerve, check out our YouTube video on the 12 cranial nerves.

Now, let’s move on to the fun part — how to remember them!


Mnemonic to Remember the 12 Cranial Nerves
One popular mnemonic for cranial nerves is:
“Oh, Oh, Oh, To Touch And Feel Very Good, Velvet AH!”
While it’s a bit long, we think it’s the fastest way to remember the cranial nerves. Each capitalized word represents the first letter of each nerve:

 	
Oh – Olfactory (I): allows us to smell
 	
Oh – Optic (II): allows us to see
 	
Oh – Oculomotor (III): allows us to adjust pupils and eye lens, move eyelids, rotate eyeballs
 	
To – Trochlear (IV): allows us to move eyeballs
 	
Touch – Trigeminal (V): allows us to chew, feel sensations in the face and mouth
 	
And – Abducens (VI): allows us to move eyeballs
 	
Feel – Facial (VII): allows us to form facial expressions, produce tears, and sensory of the tongue
 	
Very – Vestibulocochlear (VIII): allows us to hear and maintain balance
 	
Good – Glossopharyngeal (IX): allows us to produce saliva, swallow, and taste
 	
Velvet – Vagus (X): allows us to control the peripheral nervous system (PNS)
 	
A – Accessory (XI): allows us to move the neck and shoulder, swallow
 	
H – Hypoglossal (XII): allows us to formulate speech, move the tongue movement, swallow


Mnemonic to Remember If a Cranial Nerve is Sensory, Motor, or Both
To remember whether a cranial nerve is sensory, motor, or both, you just need three letters: S, M, and B.

 	
S: Sensory
 	
M: Motor
 	
B: Both (sensory and motor)

Now, you can create a mnemonic for cranial nerves to quickly recall the function of a specific nerve.


Mnemonic to Remember the Functions of Each Cranial Nerve
To remember the functions of the cranial nerves, use this mnemonic:
“Some Say Marry Money, But My Brother Says Big Brains Matter Most”
This mnemonic for cranial nerves corresponds to the first letter of each nerve’s function in order:

 	
Some: Sensory (olfactory – I)
 	
Say: Sensory (optic – II)
 	
Marry: Motor (oculomotor – III)
 	
Money: Motor (trochlear – IV)
 	
But: Both (trigeminal – V)
 	
My: Motor (abducens – VI)
 	
Brother: Both (facial – VII)
 	
Says: Sensory (vestibulocochlear – VIII)
 	
Big: Both (glossopharyngeal – IX)
 	
Brains: Both (vagus – X)
 	
Matter: Motor (spinal accessory – XI)
 	
Most: Motor (hypoglossal – XII)


Mnemonic to Remember the Order of Each Cranial Nerve
Another popular mnemonic for cranial nerves is:
“On Old Olympus Towering Top A Fin And German Viewed Some Hops”
This mnemonic corresponds to the first letter of each nerve’s name in order:

 	
On: Olfactory (I)
 	
Old: Optic (II)
 	
Olympus: Oculomotor (III)
 	
Towering: Trochlear (IV)
 	
Top: Trigeminal (V)
 	
A: Abducens (VI)
 	
Fin: Facial (VII)
 	
And: Auditory (VIII)
 	
German: Glossopharyngeal (IX)
 	
Viewed: Vagus (X)
 	
Some: Sensory (accessory – XI)
 	
Hopes: Hypoglossal (XII)