Two Mnemonic Phrases for Cranial Nerves

Here are 2 useful mnemonic phrases for memorizing the names of the twelve cranial nerves and their functional purpose.




 Cranial nerve names in order from CN I to CN XII:

On old Olympus's towering top a Finn and German viewed some hops

  1. O: olfactory nerve (CN I)
  2. O: optic nerve (CN II)
  3. O: oculomotor nerve (CN III)
  4. T: trochlear nerve (CN IV)
  5. T: trigeminal nerve(CN V)
  6. A: abducens nerve (CN VI)
  7. F: facial nerve (CN VII)
  8. A: auditory (vestibulocochlear) nerve (CN VIII)
  9. G: glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX)
  10. V: vagus nerve (CN X)
  11. S: spinal accessory nerve (CN XI)
  12. H: hypoglossal nerve (CN XII)



Memorizing functional purpose:

Some say marry money but my brother says big brains matter more

  1. S: sensory (olfactory nerve - CN I)
  2. S: sensory (optic nerve - CN II)
  3. M: motor (oculomotor nerve - CN III)
  4. M: motor (trochlear nerve - CN IV)
  5. B: both (trigeminal nerve - CN V)
  6. M: motor (abducens nerve - CN VI)
  7. B: both (facial nerve - CN VII)
  8. S: sensory (vestibulocochlear nerve - CN VIII)
  9. B: both (glossopharyngeal nerve CN IX)
  10. B: both (vagus nerve - CN X)
  11. M: motor (spinal accessory nerve - CN XI)
  12. M: motor (hypoglossal nerve - CN XII)

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