How to memorize the bones of the body, region by region
The prettysmart teamUpdated 7 min readthe short answer
Don't learn 206 names. Most bones come in left-right pairs, and the hands and feet repeat the same pattern, so the real list is about 60 names. Learn it one region at a time, give each hard group a mnemonic, and test yourself from pictures and flashcards over a week.
Key takeaways
- The 206 split into 80 axial bones (skull, spine, ribs) and 126 appendicular bones (girdles and limbs).
- Each arm and each leg has exactly 30 bones, and both hands and feet end in 14 phalanges.
- So Long To Pinky, Here Comes The Thumb gives all 8 carpals in order around the wrist.
- The maxilla is the upper jaw, the mandible the lower jaw and the zygomatic the cheekbone.
- Carpals are in the wrist (8); tarsals are in the foot (7). The calcaneus is the heel.
In this guide
All 206 bones, counted by region
Start with the count, not the names. The adult skeleton has 206 bones: 80 in the axial skeleton down the middle of the body and 126 in the appendicular skeleton of the girdles and limbs. Learn how the numbers add up and you’ll know when a list is missing a bone.
| Region | Bones | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Skull | 8 cranial + 14 facial | 22 |
| Ear ossicles | malleus, incus, stapes in each ear | 6 |
| Hyoid | 1 U-shaped bone in the neck | 1 |
| Vertebral column | 24 vertebrae + sacrum + coccyx | 26 |
| Thoracic cage | 24 ribs + sternum | 25 |
| Axial total | 80 | |
| Pectoral girdles | 2 clavicles + 2 scapulae | 4 |
| Upper limbs | 30 in each arm | 60 |
| Pelvic girdle | 2 hip bones | 2 |
| Lower limbs | 30 in each leg | 60 |
| Appendicular total | 126 |
Tip: Every one of the 126 appendicular bones has a left and a right twin, and the 56 phalanges (14 in each hand and each foot) are one pattern four times. Learn one side once and you know both.
The skull: 22 bones
Cranial bones (8) form the case around the brain. Four are single and two come in pairs.
| Bone | Single or pair | Where it is |
|---|---|---|
| Frontal | single | the forehead |
| Parietal | pair | the top and upper sides |
| Temporal | pair | the lower sides, with the mastoid process behind the ear |
| Occipital | single | the back, with the foramen magnum |
| Sphenoid | single | the “keystone” in the middle of the skull base, touching almost every other skull bone |
| Ethmoid | single | the roof and side walls of the upper nasal cavity |
Facial bones (14) are 6 pairs plus 2 single bones.
| Bone | Single or pair | Where it is |
|---|---|---|
| Maxilla | pair | the upper jaw and most of the hard palate |
| Mandible | single | the lower jaw, the only skull bone that moves |
| Zygomatic | pair | the cheekbone |
| Nasal | pair | the bridge of the nose |
| Lacrimal | pair | the front of the inner wall of the eye socket |
| Palatine | pair | the back of the hard palate |
| Vomer | single | the back and lower part of the nasal septum |
| Inferior nasal conchae | pair | curved plates on the lower side walls of the nasal cavity |
Mnemonic: PEST OF 6 for the cranial bones: Parietal, Ethmoid, Sphenoid, Temporal, Occipital, Frontal. Virgil Can Not Make My Pet Zebra Laugh for the facial bones: Vomer, Conchae, Nasal, Maxilla, Mandible, Palatine, Zygomatic, Lacrimal.
The hyoid sits in the upper neck and touches no other bone, so it isn’t counted in the skull. The 3 ear ossicles, from the eardrum inward, are the malleus, incus and stapes (hammer, anvil, stirrup).
The spine and ribs: 51 bones
- Vertebrae by region: 7 cervical (neck), 12 thoracic (chest), 5 lumbar (lower back). C1 is the atlas and C2 the axis.
- Sacrum and coccyx: the sacrum is 5 vertebrae fused together, the coccyx 4 small ones.
- Sternum: 3 parts, top to bottom: manubrium, body, xiphoid process.
- Ribs: 12 pairs. Ribs 1 to 7 are true ribs, 8 to 12 false ribs, and 11 and 12 are also floating ribs.
Mnemonic: Breakfast at 7, lunch at 12, dinner at 5: 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, top to bottom.
The arms and hands: 30 bones each
| Group | Bones | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Upper arm | humerus | 1 |
| Forearm | radius (thumb side), ulna (pinky side) | 2 |
| Wrist (carpals) | scaphoid, lunate, triquetrum, pisiform; trapezium, trapezoid, capitate, hamate | 8 |
| Palm (metacarpals) | numbered 1 to 5 from the thumb | 5 |
| Fingers (phalanges) | 2 in the thumb, 3 in each finger | 14 |
The pectoral girdle that holds each arm is the clavicle (collarbone) at the front and the scapula (shoulder blade) at the back; the acromion of the scapula is the bony tip of your shoulder.
Mnemonic: So Long To Pinky, Here Comes The Thumb. The first 4 words give the row nearest the forearm, from the thumb side to the pinky (scaphoid, lunate, triquetrum, pisiform), and the last 4 give the row nearest the fingers, coming back from the pinky to the thumb (hamate, capitate, trapezoid, trapezium).
The hips, legs and feet: 30 bones each
| Group | Bones | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Thigh | femur, the longest and strongest bone | 1 |
| Knee | patella, inside the quadriceps tendon | 1 |
| Leg | tibia (shin, medial, bears weight), fibula (lateral) | 2 |
| Ankle and back of the foot (tarsals) | talus, calcaneus, navicular, cuboid, medial, intermediate and lateral cuneiforms | 7 |
| Front of the foot (metatarsals) | 1 long bone behind each toe | 5 |
| Toes (phalanges) | 2 in the big toe, 3 in each other toe | 14 |
Each hip bone forms from 3 bones, the ilium, ischium and pubis, which fuse by the late teens and meet at the acetabulum, the hip socket. The 2 hip bones, the sacrum and the coccyx together make the pelvis.
Mnemonic: Tiger Cubs Need MILC for the tarsals: Talus, Calcaneus, Navicular, Medial, Intermediate and Lateral cuneiforms, Cuboid. It’s a memory order, not their order in the foot.
The mix-ups that cost points
- Maxilla, mandible, zygomatic: maxilla is the upper jaw, mandible the lower jaw, zygomatic the cheekbone. The nose bridge is the nasal bones.
- Radius versus ulna: the radius is on the thumb side, the ulna on the pinky side. Point your thumb at the ceiling: the radius is the upper bone.
- Trapezium versus trapezoid: the trapezium sits next to the thumb, the last word of the carpal mnemonic.
- Carpals versus tarsals: carpals are the wrist (8), tarsals the ankle and back of the foot (7). “Car” before “tar”, hand before foot.
- Metacarpals versus phalanges: the metacarpals are the palm, the phalanges the fingers.
- The two ankle bumps: the inner bump (medial malleolus) is the tibia, the outer bump (lateral malleolus) is the fibula.
- True, false and floating ribs: 11 and 12 are false ribs and floating ribs at once.
A week that makes it stick
Spreading practice over several days is one of only two study techniques rated high utility in a major review (Dunlosky et al., 2013), and the longer you need to remember something, the wider your review gaps should be (Cepeda et al., 2006). For a practical next week:
| Day | What to do | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The count table; the 8 cranial bones with PEST OF 6 | 15 min |
| 2 | Review day 1; the 14 facial bones, hyoid and ossicles | 15 min |
| 3 | Review the skull; spine, sternum and ribs | 15 min |
| 4 | Review; arms, carpals and hands | 15 min |
| 5 | Review; hips, legs, tarsals and feet | 15 min |
| 6 | Label a blank skeleton from memory, then the whole deck shuffled | 20 min |
| 7 | Only the cards and bones you missed on day 6 | 10 min |
Test from pictures as well as words. Practicals show you the bone, not its name, so after each flashcard session point to every bone on a diagram, a model or your own body.
More for anatomy and physiology
The bones are one of the big memorization loads in A&P. How to study for anatomy and physiology covers the rest, including how lab practicals run, and the skull bones pair well with how to memorize the 12 cranial nerves, which leave the skull through them.
Flashcards: Bones of the human body: the skull, spine, ribs, arms and legs
74 cards, each checked against this guide's sources. Tap a card to see the answer.
Bones of the body flashcards: study them one at a time
1How many bones are in the adult human skeleton?
2What are the 2 divisions of the skeleton?
3What does the axial skeleton include?
4What does the appendicular skeleton include?
5How many bones form the skull?
6Name the 8 cranial bones.
7Which single bone forms the forehead?
8Which paired bones form most of the upper sides and top of the skull?
9Which paired bones form the lower sides of the skull and carry the mastoid process?
10Which single bone forms the back of the skull and contains the foramen magnum?
11Which single bone is the "keystone" of the skull, joining almost every other skull bone?
12Which single midline bone forms the roof and side walls of the upper nasal cavity?
Show the other 62 cards
13Name the 14 facial bones.
14Which paired bone forms the upper jaw and most of the hard palate?
15Which bone forms the lower jaw?
16Where is the maxilla?
17Which bone is the cheekbone?
18Which paired bones form the bridge of the nose?
19Which small, rectangular bone forms the front of the inner wall of the orbit?
20Which paired bones form the back of the hard palate?
21Which bone forms the back and lower part of the nasal septum?
22Which curved bony plates project into the nasal cavity from its lower side walls?
23Which U-shaped bone in the upper neck touches no other bone?
24Name the 3 ear ossicles in order from the eardrum.
25Which ear ossicle attaches to the eardrum (tympanic membrane)?
26Which ear ossicle connects to the cochlea at the oval window?
27How many cervical vertebrae are there?
28How many thoracic vertebrae are there?
29How many lumbar vertebrae are there?
30How is the sacrum formed?
31How is the coccyx formed?
32What is the C1 vertebra called?
33What is the C2 vertebra called?
34What makes up the adult vertebral column?
35What does the thoracic cage consist of?
36What are the 3 parts of the sternum?
37Which ribs are the true ribs?
38Which ribs are the false ribs?
39Which ribs are the floating ribs?
40Which 2 bones form the pectoral girdle?
41Which S-shaped bone runs from the sternum to the scapula at the front of the shoulder?
42Which flat, triangular bone sits at the back of the shoulder?
43What forms the bony tip of the shoulder?
44Which single bone forms the upper arm?
45Which forearm bone is on the thumb side?
46Which forearm bone is on the pinky side?
47How many bones are in each upper limb?
48Where are the 8 carpal bones?
49Name the proximal row of carpals, thumb side to pinky side.
50Name the distal row of carpals, thumb side to pinky side.
51What mnemonic gives the 8 carpal bones?
52Trapezium or trapezoid: which is next to the thumb?
53Which bones form the palm?
54How many phalanges are in each hand?
55Which digit has only 2 phalanges?
56What forms the pelvic girdle on each side?
57Which 3 bones fuse to form each hip bone?
58What is the cup-shaped socket where the ilium, ischium and pubis meet?
59Which part of the hip bone supports you when you sit?
60What is the curved top edge of the ilium called?
61Which 4 bones form the pelvis?
62Which is the longest and strongest bone in the body?
63Which sesamoid bone sits in the quadriceps tendon at the knee?
64Which bone is the shin bone, on the medial side of the leg?
65Which leg bone is lateral and does not bear weight?
66The medial malleolus (inner ankle bump) belongs to which bone?
67The lateral malleolus (outer ankle bump) belongs to which bone?
68How many bones are in each lower limb?
69Name the 7 tarsal bones.
70Which tarsal bone is the heel bone?
71Which tarsal bone meets the tibia and fibula to form the ankle joint?
72Carpals or tarsals: which are in the wrist?
73Which bones form the front half of the foot?
74How many phalanges are in each foot?
Studying in Anki or Quizlet?
- Copy all the cards, or download the .txt.
- Quizlet: paste them into its import box. It reads Tab between term and definition.
- Anki: File, then Import, and pick the .txt file.
Questions people ask
Do I really need to memorize all 206 bones?
You need every name your course tests, which is usually the major bones, the skull bones, the vertebrae by region, and the carpals and tarsals. Because most bones are paired and the 14 finger and 14 toe bones repeat one pattern, that comes to about 60 names, not 206.
What is the fastest way to memorize the bones?
Learn one region a day with its mnemonic, then test yourself on flashcards and an unlabeled diagram for 10 to 15 minutes, and review the earlier regions before adding a new one. Short sessions spread over a week beat one long night for anything you need to remember past the quiz.
How do I memorize the bones of the skull?
Split the 22 into 8 cranial and 14 facial bones. PEST OF 6 gives the cranial bones (parietal, ethmoid, sphenoid, temporal, occipital, frontal), and Virgil Can Not Make My Pet Zebra Laugh gives the 8 facial bone names. Then learn which ones come in pairs.
How do I memorize the bones of the hand and wrist?
The hand is 27 bones: 8 carpals, 5 metacarpals and 14 phalanges. So Long To Pinky, Here Comes The Thumb gives the carpals: the row nearest the forearm from thumb to pinky, then the row nearest the fingers from pinky back to the thumb.
Do I need to learn bone markings too?
Many A&P courses expect you to identify the major markings too, such as processes, foramina and spines, so check your lab list. This page and its deck cover the bones themselves, plus a few landmarks (the mastoid process, acromion, iliac crest and the two malleoli); learn the markings once the names are solid.
Sources
- Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 7.1 Divisions of the Skeletal System, OpenStax
- Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 7.2 The Skull, OpenStax
- Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 7.3 The Vertebral Column, OpenStax
- Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 7.4 The Thoracic Cage, OpenStax
- Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 8.1 The Pectoral Girdle, OpenStax
- Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 8.2 Bones of the Upper Limb, OpenStax
- Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 8.3 The Pelvic Girdle and Pelvis, OpenStax
- Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 8.4 Bones of the Lower Limb, OpenStax
- Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 14.1 Sensory Perception, OpenStax
- Distributed Practice in Verbal Recall Tasks (Cepeda et al., 2006), Psychological Bulletin
- Improving Students' Learning With Effective Learning Techniques (Dunlosky et al., 2013), Psychological Science in the Public Interest