Pokémon Names That Aren't Pronounced The Way They're Spelled
Throughout the Pokémon series, some monsters’ names have surprising pronunciations that don’t match the way they’re spelled. Without counting form differences, the total number of Pokémon will surpass 900 with the upcoming title, Pokémon Legends: Arceus. In the localization process, some Pokémon keep a similar name in English compared to the original Japanese name, while others have names that are completely changed.
The Japanese language uses phonetic spelling, so each Pokémon name is spelled the way it sounds. This isn’t the case for English, however, which can sometimes feel like there are more exceptions than rules when it comes to pronunciation. This can make some Pokémon name pronunciations surprising, such as the Pokémon Minccino (whose evolution Cinccino requires a Shiny Stone in Pokémon Black and White) using the Italian pronunciation of the letter “c” followed by an “e” or “i.” It could have been spelled “Minchino” for more clarity, but “Minccino” has more style and doesn’t actually break any pronunciation rules.
Related: The Worst Pokémon Names Game Freak Almost Used
Pokémon name pronunciations get even trickier when a Pokémon has the same name in both English and Japanese, but the spelling and/or pronunciation changes. For example, Raikou not only has the same name in English and Japanese, but its English name is spelled exactly how the Japanese katakana characters would be Romanized. But some English language material has pronounced the Pokémon’s name as “rye-koo,” when in Japanese it’s pronounced “rye-koh.” It also doesn’t help that some English language material pronounces it “rye-koh,” as well. A similar situation happened to the legendary Pokémon Arceus, whose Japanese name pronunciation is closer to
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