At its 1996 launch, the Pokémon franchise was home to 151 Pokémon; today however, as of the latest releases, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, that number has ballooned to over 1,000 - some of which have widely mispronounced names. The vast majority of Pokémon have interesting names that are fairly easy to accurately pronounce; however, there are some Pokémon that have names that range in ease of pronunciation from outright difficult to seemingly almost impossible. Some have names that are not pronounced as they are spelled, others are complex due to etymologies being sourced from other languages, and yet more, are often mispronounced due to a lack of consensus.
The naming conventions of the Pokémon franchise frequently results in Pokémon with names consisting of puns, onomatopoeias, and simple portmanteaus which refer to a unique feature. Following this naming system, many Pokémon, such as the original three starters, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander, have received names that are funny, interesting, or at least easy to pronounce. There are, however, many Pokémon with names that the majority of people are incorrectly pronouncing.
10 Rattata
Introduced in Generation 1, Rattata is a mouse species Normal-type Pokémon with a predominantly purple fur coat accented with a cream-colored face, paws, and underside. Two predominant theories exist regarding the origin of the Rattata name - it is thought to be either a portmanteau of "rat" and "attack" or an onomatopoeia of the tapping sound made by a rat scurrying inside a wall. The uncertainty regarding the etymology of the name may contribute to its frequent mispronunciation. Common mispronunciations include Ratta-tata, Rat-ta-tata, and Rat-at-ah, however, the accurate pronunciation is Rah-tuh-tah.
9 Xatu
Drawing inspiration from Native American totem poles, the mystic-species Pokémon, Xatu, is visually reminiscent of a green Resplendent Quetzal. The name of the Generation 2 Psychic/Flying-type Pokémon, Xatu, derives from "xat" and "xaat," types of Native American totem poles. Perhaps owing to the name beginning with Xa, Xatu is often erroneously pronounced as Axe-tu, Ex-atu, and Kza-tu, however, the correct pronunciation of Xatu is Zah-two.
8 Hydreigon
Like the other of the Deino evolutionary line, Deino and Zweilous, Hydreigon is named for its total number of heads and draconic appearance. The etymology of Hydreigon is a combination of "hydra," the German word for three, "drei," and "dragon", although its component words are easily identifiable, it is still frequently mispronounced. Common mispronunciations include Hyd-re-gon and Hy-dragon; however, the correct pronunciation is Hy-drei-gon.
7 Suicune
Suicune is the mascot of Pokémon Crystal and one-third of the Legendary Beasts from Generation 2. The etymology of the Water-type Legendary Pokémon is unclear, although it could stem from the Japanese for water, "sui," crystal "suisho," and the honorific title "kun." Suicune is often pronounced in a vast variety of ways, inclduing Sue-ih-soon, Sue-ih-coon, and sue-iss-cene, the correct pronunciation is, however, Swee-coon.
6 Alomomola
Alomomola is the caring species Pokémon, heavily modeled on the ocean sunfish, otherwise known by its scientific name, the Mola mola. This visual inspiration, as well as the Alomomola's affectionate nature, are clear in its name - alom (Mola reversed), mom, alom. The correct pronunciation of Alomomola is Al-low-mom-oh-lah, however, the visually complex name of the Generation 5 Water-type Pokémon results in a wide variety of incorrect pronunciation.
5 Arceus
First introduced in the 2009 movie, Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life, the Mythical Pokémon, Arceus, is the master of the Creation Trio and the Lake Guardians - it is also, the mascot of Pokémon Legends: Arceus. As Arceus is considered to be a god and the canonical creator of the Pokémon world, it is easy, and quite reasonable, to believe its name should be pronounced Ark-eus or Ar-keus, as to rhyme with Zeus, the chief deity in the expansive pantheon of ancient Greek mythology. Ar-see-us is also a very common mispronunciation, but Arceus is actually pronounced as Ar-kee-iss.
4 Regice
Part of the quintet of Regi Pokémon along with Regirock, Registeel, Regieleki, and Regidrago, Regice is an Ice-type Legendary Pokémon from Gen 3. Based on the Regi naming pattern, it’s easy to assume that Regice is pronounced how it is spelled - Reg-ice. However, this is incorrect, and the actual pronunciation of Regice is reji-ice. The etymology of the name speaks to the Legendary status of Regice, with the name being a combination of "regis" the Latin for of the king, and "ice."
3 Nihilego
Introduced in Generation 7, Nihilego is an Ultra Beast Pokémon from Ultra Space. Little is known in canon about the Parasite species Rock/Poison-type Pokémon, but it is known that it's parastatic in nature, made of a glass-like material, and is reminiscent of a jellyfish. The name Nihilego is thought to be a combination of "nihilist" and "ego," a reference to its nature as a mindless creature with no motivations other than the satisfaction of its base instincts. Nihilego is often pronounced as Nih-hill-egg-oh, Nee-hill-egg-oh, and Nile-ee-go; the correct pronunciation is, however, Nih-hill-ee-go.
2 Yveltal
Yveltal is a Legendary Pokémon first introduced in Generation 6. It is the mascot for Pokémon Y and the counterpart of Pokémon X's Legendary mascot, Xerneas. The Dark/Flying-type destruction-species Pokémon is visually reminiscent of a combination of a bird of prey and dragon. It is a striking combination of red and black, has enormous wings and tail, bright blue eyes, and incredibly imposing talons. The name Yveltal is a combination of the letter Y, "evil," and "talon;" although it looks as though it would be pronounced Yv-el-tal, Yveltal is actually pronounced Ee-vel-tall, with emphasis on the middle syllable.
1 Rayquaza
Rayquaza, the mascot of Pokémon Emerald, is one of the Legendary Pokémon introduced in Gen 3's Weather Trio - alongside Kyogre and Groudon. Rayquaza is a green serpentine Pokémon with yellow and red accents, sharp talons, and bright yellow eyes - its design is heavily influenced on artistic depictions of East Asian dragons and the traditional Aztec deity of wind, Quetzalcoatl. Although Rayquaza is often cited among the franchise's most popular Legendary Pokémon, the pronunciation of Rayquaza is often incorrect. Though it is often pronounced Ray-kwah-zah, the official pronunciation of Pokémon's Rayquaza is Ray-quay-zah.
