The keyword method of vocabulary acquisition is a two-step mnemonic technique for learning vocabulary terms. The first step, the acoustic link, generates a keyword based on the sound of the foreign word. The second step, the imagery link, ties the keyword to the meaning of the item to be learned, via an interactive visual image or other association. An experiment assessed the effectiveness of this technique. Participants were 60 Army enlisted personnel, 20 from each of three ranges of general technical aptitude. The subjects learned the English translations of 15 Korean vocabulary terms at a self-paced rate. Half the subjects in each group were instructed in the keyword technique and were supplied keywords for each vocabulary item, while the remaining subjects served as a control group. According to the most representative criterion, the keyword group performed 79% better than the control group. (Author/JB)