Sound symbolism: "Bouba" sounds round, "kiki" sounds sharp - cross-culturally consistent. Hard consonants (K, T, P) convey strength/precision. Soft consonants (M, L, N) convey gentleness/warmth. Kodak, PayPal, TikTok use plosives for impact. Lululemon, Mulan use liquids for flow.
Plosive Power
Plosives (P, B, T, D, K, G): Explosive sounds. Attention-grabbing. Convey innovation, energy, disruption. Tech brands love these: Bitcoin, Kodak, TikTok, PayPal.
Hard K especially powerful: Kinetic, crackling energy. Coca-Cola uses it twice. Nike. Kleenex. Xerox. Most memorable brands include at least one plosive.
Liquid Sounds
Liquids (L, R): Flowing, smooth, continuous. Luxury brands use these: Rolex, Loro Piana, Hermès. Evokes fluidity, elegance, refinement.
L specifically: Light, liquid associations. Lush, lavish, lull. Creates soft, approachable feeling. Lululemon, LinkedIn, Lyft use this effect.
Nasal Warmth
Nasals (M, N): Comforting, maternal, gentle. Consumer goods use heavily: Mama's, Nestlé, Magnum. Sounds like "mmm" satisfaction. Subconscious comfort.
M at start: Especially powerful. Most personal word in any language is "me/my" - starts with M. Captures attention via self-reference.
Fricative Friction
Fricatives (F, V, S, Z, Th): Continuous airflow, creates tension or speed. Tech and financial brands: Visa, Stripe, Salesforce. Sharp, precise, modern.
S specifically: Snake-like, sleek, sophisticated. Luxury cars love it: Mercedes, Porsche, Tesla. Suggests smooth operation, premium quality.
Vowel Associations
Front vowels (EE as in "see"): Small, fast, precise. Mini, LinkedIn, Twitter (now X). High pitch association = diminutive.
Back vowels (OO as in "boom"): Large, slow, powerful. Uber, Google, Zoom. Low pitch association = magnitude. Create sense of scale.
Cross-Language Patterns
Bouba/Kiki effect: Universal across languages. Round sounds (B, M, L with OO vowels) = round shapes. Sharp sounds (K, T with EE vowels) = angular shapes. Not learned - innate.
Use this for product perception: Round brand name for comfortable products (Uber, Bumble). Sharp name for precision tools (Kinect, PixelPoint).
Repetition Structures
Reduplication (repeating sounds): Increases memorability by 40%. TikTok, Coca-Cola, Kit Kat, M&M. Creates rhythm, aids recall. Children learn these names fastest.
Alliteration (same starting sound): PayPal, Dunkin' Donuts, Best Buy. Easier to remember than random syllable combos. Tongue twisters stick in memory.
Hard vs Soft
Hard brands (plosives + front vowels): Tech, finance, sports. Nike, Bitcoin, FitBit. Convey strength, decisiveness, innovation. Male-skewing demographics prefer these.
Soft brands (liquids/nasals + back vowels): Hospitality, wellness, food. Lululemon, Mulan, Whole Foods. Convey comfort, nurture, quality. Female-skewing demographics prefer these.
Name Testing
Read name aloud 10 times fast. Does it flow or fight your mouth? Easy pronunciation = higher adoption. Difficult sounds = barrier to word-of-mouth.
Test across languages: English "sheet" = problematic in German. Check pronunciation guides for target markets. Phonetic conflicts kill global expansion.
Category Alignment
Match sound to category expectations. Law firm with playful sounds = credibility issue. Kids' toy with harsh plosives = mismatch. Luxury brand with simple vowels = lacks sophistication.
Study category leaders: What sounds dominate? Align or deliberately contrast - but make it intentional, not accidental.
Trademark Lens checks trademark availability - linguistic sound symbolism helps select which available names to pursue based on category fit.