Names and Faces training: a point for every name
Fifteen minutes to memorise faces with their first and second names, then thirty to name them again in a new order. Standard mode runs the World Memory Championship format — 262 faces — scored name by name under the World Memory Sports Council rules.
- Memorise
- 15 min
- Recall
- 30 min
- Faces
- 262
- 20 per page
- Per face
- 0–2 pts
- World record
- 218
- Guinness, 2020
Start a drill
The official Names and Faces format
Each face is a head-and-shoulders photograph with a first and second name printed underneath. Names are assigned at random from a wide range of regions, first names match gender, no name appears twice, and hyphenated names aren't used. The sheet holds the world record plus 20%.
| Level | Memorise | Recall |
|---|---|---|
| National | 5 min | 15 min |
| International | 15 min | 30 min |
| World | 15 min | 30 min |
Standard mode presents 262 faces — the 218 record plus 20% — 20 to a page, as on the rulebook's larger sheets. The faces are drawn illustrations rather than photographs, split evenly between women and men; the rulebook's mix of children and age groups isn't modelled.
How Names and Faces is scored
First and second names score separately. These are the WMSC rules:
- 2First and second name both rightA point for each correctly spelt name.
- 1Only the first name, or only the surnameEither name scores on its own.
- 0A wrong nameAn incorrect first name or surname scores 0.
- 0Names in the wrong orderA surname written before the first name is wrong.
- 0Left blankNo penalty for a blank first name or surname.
- −½The same name written three times or moreNames aren't repeated on the sheet.
How to remember names
- Turn each name into an image. “Fletcher” becomes an arrow-maker, “Rosalinda” a rose. Unfamiliar names can borrow the image of a word they sound like.
- Anchor the image to a feature of the face. Pick something distinctive — glasses, hair, a beard — and have the name's image interact with it, so the face brings the image back.
- Take both names. Each scores on its own, so a face where you only have the surname is still worth a point: write it.
- Review before the clock runs out. Names fade quickly; a pass back through earlier pages often pays more than a new page. See visualization and active recall.
The full method, from catching a name to reviewing it, is in How to remember names.
Names and Faces FAQ
What is Names and Faces at the World Memory Championships?
Competitors see colour photographs of people with a first and second name printed under each, memorise as many as they can, then write the names under the same faces shown again in a different order. At International and World level there are 15 minutes to memorise and 30 to recall.
What is the world record for names and faces in 15 minutes?
Guinness World Records lists 218, set by Emma Alam of Pakistan at the 29th World Memory Championship in December 2020.
How is Names and Faces scored?
A point for every correctly spelt first name and a point for every correctly spelt second name, so a face can score 0, 1 or 2. A wrong name scores 0, a blank costs nothing, and names written in the wrong order score 0. The total is rounded up to a whole number.
Is there a penalty for guessing names?
Not for a wrong guess on its own. But names aren't repeated on the sheet, so the rulebook allows half a point to be deducted when the same name is written more than twice — writing one name under every face is penalised.
Do accents and capital letters matter?
No. Francois for François, or Kinpong for KinPong, count as correct.
Where do the names come from?
A wide range of regions — English, European, Middle Eastern, East Asian, South-East Asian, South Asian, African and Latin American — with first and second names combined at random, so a face gives no clue to its name. First names match the face's gender, and no name is used twice.
How are ties broken?
The competitor with the fewest incorrectly identified names wins.
Keep training
Sources
- World Memory Sports Council rulebook — Names and Faces (format, names and scoring)
- Guinness World Records — most names and faces memorised in 15 minutes
Not affiliated with the World Memory Sports Council.