Remembering Phone Numbers

Okay - I know this is a silly question - but what is the trick to memorizing UK phone numbers??  My husband bought a mobile phone for us while he was in the UK in anticipation of our move there next month, and for the life of me, I can't make that number stick in my brain.

Am I just being lazy?  

I totally know what you mean. I think it's because I have to remember so much more of the number. I have memorized my home and work number, but only because I don't  have to memorize the area code. With mobiles, it's a whole other game. I've just begun to memorize my mobile, but still get it wrong now and then. I don't even try with anyone elses, not even Jons!

It's really wierd because I'm really good with remembering phone numbers and I have the hardest time of it here.  :-/

Sorry, I'm afraid there's no hope.  I've lived here more than 13 years and I know three phone numbers-mine, the in-laws and the surgery.  Everything else I have to look up everytime, even my work number and my mobile.  

I can, and do, remember numbers easily, and I'm not completely sure how or why.  I can tell you the phone number of a house that my parents moved out of in 1976, and the post code of my high school, though I have never written to it, and left school in the 1980's.  :-/

There are several ways that might help you, either break the number down into twos or threes and remember each as if a word, or a little chant 0, 2-3-4, 8-4-7, 9-2-3.  Alternatively, yo may be able to remember the pattern your finger traces on the keys as you dial.

Finally, have you thought of writing down the letters from the keys and seeing if you can make a word out of them?

Hiya! Nope! It's not just you! I've been here for a year & a half and the only numbers I know by heart are 1. our home number (just because I called it for 2 years before moving over) 2. My work number (because I have to give it to customers every day) and 3. Onetel's access number (because I use it so often to call the US)

Nevermind that there are too many numbers in UK landline phone numbers & mobile phone numbers to make sense to me after living for 30 years in the USA, but I also have precious little extra space for certain things (numbers- alas, I'm a math phobic hehe) in my brain   That's why they made address books & the phone number saved option thingy in my mobile phone!

You're not alone, LoriM!  

I think a good part of the reason is that for those having grown up in this country, automatically knowing the first 5 digits is a huge advantage. For instance, I can name just about 5 digit number beginning with "01" and my husband will rattle off (9-times-out-of-10) what part of the country it is, or if it's a mobile, or if it's local or free phone, etc. I'm still trying to learn that beginning stuff. I think the problem is, we are trying to memorize 11 digits and the Brits are only memorizing 6 digits.

I think the problem is, we are trying to memorize 11 digits and the Brits are only memorizing 6 digits.

It is all a matter of perspective as I'm sure that many Americans know lots of the US area codes too, while I am trying to remember all ten (American) digits like you.

Having said that, I'm impressed if your husband knows more than the codes for the larger cities in the UK as  there are hundreds of British codes and I never fathomed much of a pattern for the 0+4 codes, never mind the 0+5 ones.

I'm impressed if your husband knows more than the codes for the larger cities in the UK

Like you, he can recite house numbers from the 1970s...even his first bank account number. He has a mind I envy and admire. But I still think the Brits know their "area codes" far more than they realize.

Maybe Im just a freak...  
People at my work actually come to me and ask me 'What's the dialling code for ________?'  (they also ask me what county certain towns are in)...
This is probably my only talent!  It's just one of those things I happened to pick up and be good at memorising...  (FREAK!)
0208 & 0207 London, 0141 Glasgow, 0131 Edinburgh, 0151 Liverpool, 0161 Manchester, 0121 Brum, 0191 Newcastle, 01708 Romford, 0117 Bristol, 0113 Leeds, 0116 Leicester, 0115 Nottingham (i think)...  the ones that really throw me are the new '02' numbers for Southampton, Coventry & Cardiff...  

Maybe Im just a freak .....

You're not the only one, ..... When I was student I used to have a summer job in a warehouse - with perhaps around 500-600 product codes, each of five digits.

Being a student I was only there for three months of the year, July- September, but I used to be asked by permanent staff what the product was that had the code number on their order, and where they could find it.  Even if I'd only been back a week I could usually help.

What got me though was that permanent staff would even think of using me, a temp, as a resource for stock code information!  

..... Sadly, more than ten years later I can still remember the codes of many of the products!  :-/  The next time you are in your local corner store have a look at the red box of KP Hula Hoops - it probably still has the product code 09304 on the corner.