There are nine water-soluble vitamins: vitamin C and the eight B-complex vitamins. The simplest way to remember them is with the phrase “BC,” and from there, a few targeted mnemonics can help you lock in the individual B vitamins and their chemical names. Here’s how to build that memory step by step.
Start With the Big Picture: “BC”
Vitamins fall into two camps: fat-soluble and water-soluble. The fat-soluble ones spell out “ADEK” (vitamins A, D, E, and K). Everything else is water-soluble, and it’s just two letters: B and C. A popular memory hook is “Come Bathe in the water,” linking B and C to water. If you can remember ADEK for the fat-soluble group, the water-soluble vitamins are simply whatever’s left.
The Eight B Vitamins by Number and Name
The B-complex vitamins have both a number and a chemical name, which is where most people get tripped up. The numbered B vitamins are B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, and B12. Notice the gaps: there is no B4, B8, B10, or B11. Those were originally thought to be vitamins but were later reclassified. Here’s the full map:
- B1: Thiamine
- B2: Riboflavin
- B3: Niacin
- B5: Pantothenic acid
- B6: Pyridoxine
- B7: Biotin
- B9: Folate (also called folic acid)
- B12: Cobalamin
A widely used mnemonic for the chemical names in order is: “The Rhythm Nicely Pans Past Battered Fish and Chips.” The first letter of each word matches: Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic acid, Pyridoxine, Biotin, Folate, and Cobalamin. Some people shorten it to just the initials: T, R, N, P, P, B, F, C.
Tricks for the Trickiest Names
Even with a mnemonic sentence, certain B vitamins are easy to confuse. These small associations can help each one stick:
- B1, Thiamine: Think “B1 is the 1st to be discovered” and “thigh-amine” for thiamine.
- B2, Riboflavin: “Ribo” sounds like “ribbon,” and 2 looks like a ribbon curling.
- B3, Niacin: Niacin has 3 forms (nicotinic acid, niacinamide, nicotinamide riboside), matching the number 3.
- B5, Pantothenic acid: “Panto” means “everywhere” in Greek, and pantothenic acid is found in nearly every food. Five fingers, everywhere you look.
- B6, Pyridoxine: “Pyri-dox-six” rhymes loosely with six.
- B7, Biotin: Biotin is famous for hair and nails. Picture yourself in “heaven” (7) with great hair.
- B9, Folate: Folate is critical during pregnancy. A pregnancy lasts 9 months, B9 is folate.
- B12, Cobalamin: The last and largest B vitamin. “Co-BALA-min” contains “12” if you count the letters in “cobalamin” (yes, it’s 10, but “cobalt” has the atomic number 27, and 2+7 = 9… okay, this one you may just have to memorize). The simpler approach: B12 is the only one with a two-digit number, and it’s the one most people have heard of. It anchors the end of the list.
Why “Water-Soluble” Matters
Understanding what water-soluble actually means helps reinforce the memory. These vitamins dissolve in water, which has two practical consequences. First, your body doesn’t store most of them in large amounts. Excess is filtered out through the kidneys and lost in urine, so you need a steady daily supply from food. Second, they leach out of food during cooking, especially boiling. In one study, boiling destroyed up to 100% of the vitamin C in certain leafy greens, while microwaving preserved over 90% in vegetables like broccoli and spinach. Steaming falls somewhere in between. Using less water and shorter cooking times keeps more of these vitamins intact.
There is one notable exception to the “no storage” rule. Vitamin B12 is stored in the liver in surprisingly large quantities. A person with adequate stores who suddenly stops consuming B12 (for example, by switching to a strict vegan diet) may not show deficiency signs for roughly 3 to 6 years, because the liver slowly releases its reserves.
Where to Find Them in Food
Knowing the food sources reinforces your memory by giving each vitamin a concrete association. Vitamin C is the citrus vitamin: oranges, strawberries, bell peppers, broccoli, and tropical fruits. For the B vitamins, the pattern is animal products, whole grains, and leafy greens, but each has its own signature source.
Thiamine (B1) is concentrated in pork, nuts, and whole grains. Riboflavin (B2) is the dairy and egg vitamin. Niacin (B3) pairs with protein-rich foods like chicken, fish, and peanut butter. Pantothenic acid (B5) is so widespread you rarely need to think about it. Pyridoxine (B6) is richest in organ meats, fish, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. Folate (B9) comes from liver, legumes, leafy greens, and fortified grains. Cobalamin (B12) is found exclusively in animal products: meat, dairy, seafood, poultry, and eggs, which is why vegans need a supplement or fortified foods.
A Quick Safety Note on Supplements
Because water-soluble vitamins are excreted rather than stored, people sometimes assume you can take unlimited amounts without risk. That’s mostly true at moderate doses, but there are limits. Vitamin C above 2,000 mg per day (the tolerable upper limit for adults) can cause nausea, cramps, and diarrhea. Vitamin B6 is the more serious concern: long-term intake above 200 to 250 mg per day has been linked to peripheral neuropathy, a type of nerve damage causing numbness and tingling in the hands and feet. At doses above 1,000 mg per day, the risk rises significantly. For context, the recommended daily amount of B6 is only about 1.3 mg for most adults, so toxicity is almost always a supplement issue, not a food issue.
Putting It All Together
Here’s the fastest recall sequence. Fat-soluble vitamins: ADEK. Water-soluble vitamins: B and C. The eight B vitamins in order: “The Rhythm Nicely Pans Past Battered Fish and Chips.” Link B9 to 9 months of pregnancy (folate), B7 to hair heaven (biotin), and B12 to the big one stored in your liver. Vitamin C rounds out the list as the lone non-B water-soluble vitamin, famous for citrus and immune support. Run through the list a few times, and the nine water-soluble vitamins will stay with you.