Easy Ways to Remember the Structures of the Skull

Memorizing the parts of the skull ultimately requires looking at the skull itself.
••• Jupiterimages/BananaStock/Getty Images

Memorizing the structures and parts of the skull might seem daunting with names like "occipital" and "mandibular." While these might initially seem overwhelming, they don't need to be. Learning some basic English language words will help enormously because suddenly a student will realize that most skull anatomy and skull structures are appropriately named.

In fact, most of the names of the skull's structures aptly describe their location and function, which ends up being an easy way to remember bones of the skull.

The Parts of the Skull Are Aptly Named

There are various bones that together form the human skull. It is not a single bone. While this might seem overwhelming -- there are numerous bones to memorize -- all of the bones of the human skull are named to identify their location. The frontal bone, for example, is obviously located in front of the head. Other bones are more complicated, but still logically named. The temporal bone abuts the head's temples, and the sphenoid bone, which is named partly related to the word "sphere," is located behind the eye. The eye, of course, is sphere shaped.

Mouth Pieces

The pieces of the mouth are also aptly named if a student can understand the reasoning behind their names. The lower part of the mouth, for example, is called the mandible. This is because the word manducate means to chew, and thus the root of the word -- mand -- has something to do with chewing.

Likewise, the maxilla is above the mandible, and forms the upper half of the mouth. Memorize this by knowing that the "max," which is short for maximum, is greater than the mandible and thus above it.

Nasal Bones and Structures

Words like the "nasal spine" are also straightforward and easy to memorize. Luckily, the nasal spine, which is a structure below the nose, looks like a mini-spine leading up to the nose.

The nasal concha, meanwhile, is the hole in the skull where the nose rests. This can be easily memorized because the term "concha" refers to the famous seashell that makes beautiful noise: the conch shell. Because the bone is shaped like this shell, it can be memorized easily.

Other Parts of Skull Anatomy

Other significant parts of the skull include the sutures, especially the coronal sutures. These sutures surround the top of the head, like a crown. "Coronation," the term that denotes the inauguration of a royal monarch, is closely related to the word "coronal," which links to the royal aspect of the coronal suture. Thinking about royalty will solidify the coronal suture in your mind.

The lamboid suture, meanwhile, is in the rear of the head, and this can be memorized because lambs (in LAMBoid) are typically followers of a shepherd, and are thus in the back.

Mnemonic Devices

Mnemonic devices are techniques and/or phrases that you come up with to help you remember certain things. They're also called memory devices. While it's often most helpful to come up with ones on your own, here are some examples of well-known skull anatomy mnemonic devices:

All of the cranial bones: Old People From Texas Eat Sandwiches (Occipital, Parietal, Frontal, Temporal, Ethmoid, Sphenoid)

Facial bones: Virgil Can Not Make My Pet Zebra Laugh (Vomer, Conchae, Nasal, Maxilla, Mandible, Palatine, Zygomatic, Lacrimal)

Scalp nerve supply: GLASS (Greater occipital/Greater auricular, Lesser occipital, Auriculotemporal, Supratrochlear, Supraorbital)

These are just a few examples. Create your own for each area of skull anatomy to have an easy way to remember bones of the skull and other skull structures.

Related Articles

What Does the Temporal Lobe Do?
How to Study the Bones in the Human Skeleton
How to Learn the Parts of the Human Skull
How Many Bones Are in a Body?
Description of the Anatomy of a Human Finger
What Percentage of Bones in the Body Comprise the Axial...
What Is an Easy Way to Remember Muscles in the Human...
Facts About the Human Skull for Kids
Easy Ways to Recognize Bones in Anatomy
An Easy Way to Learn the Cranial Nerves
The Skeletal System of Mammals
The Differences Between Stingrays & Skates
What Do the Parts of the Brain Control?
What Parts Make Up the Human Leg?
Anatomy of the Ligaments in the Forearms
Types of Human Skull Shapes
How to Number Human Ribs
Structure of Grasshoppers
Parts of the Human Heel

Dont Go!

We Have More Great Sciencing Articles!