Symbolic Substitution
This last substitution technique is very easy, and is another way to memorize familiar words or names. When memorizing a word that cannot be visualized, use an object that can be visualized that is already strongly associated with the original word. For an example, we’ll use the stereotypes that most people have about the different States in the USA.
| State | Symbol |
| Washington | apples |
| Florida | oranges, space shuttle, Disney World |
| California | Golden Gate bridge, Disneyland |
| New York | Statue of Liberty |
| Wisconsin | cheese |
| Georgia | peaches |
| Texas | cowboys |
| Maine | lobster |
Just like partial substitution, this technique works well because all of these words are in a well defined category. This technique could also be used for a set of people, or for countries (the Eiffel Tower for France, sushi or a samurai for Japan).