"Alexa, order from..." → Voice assistant mishears brand name → Orders from competitor. 47% of voice searches misinterpret brand names on first try. If voice can't spell it, you lose the sale.
The Pronunciation Problem
Written brand ≠ spoken brand. "Fenty" (Rihanna's brand) = "Fen-tee" or "Fen-ty"? Alexa guesses. Guesses wrong? No sale. Clear pronunciation = voice commerce viability. Ambiguous pronunciation = lost revenue.
Test: Say brand name to Siri. Does it spell correctly in search? Yes = voice-friendly. No = voice commerce problem. "Nike" (Ny-kee) works. "Nguyen's Pho" fails (pronunciation unclear).
Avoid These Sounds
Silent letters: "Knoll" (K silent). Alexa says "Noll" or "K-noll"? Unclear. French pronunciations: "Beauté" = Bo-tay? Boo-tay? Bot? Voice fails. Simple phonetics = "Beauty" over "Beauté" for voice.
Homophones: "Two"/"Too"/"To." "Blu" vs "Blue." "Knight" vs "Night." Voice assistant can't distinguish. User says "Order from Blu" → Shows "Blue" competitor. Spell uniquely: "Blu" risky, "BluWave" clearer.
The Spelling Test
Say brand name out loud. Can stranger spell it correctly from hearing once? No = voice search problem. "Lyft" (not "Lift") = needed massive marketing to teach spelling. "Uber" = phonetically clear, instant understanding.
Short Beats Long
Voice commerce phrase: "Alexa, reorder from [brand name]." 1-2 syllables = fast. 4+ syllables = user fatigue. "Tide" (1 syllable) vs "Seventh Generation" (7 syllables). Which gets voice reorders? Tide dominates.
Character limit = no issue for voice. But syllable count = cognitive load. Every syllable = higher chance user misspeaks or voice mishears. "Amazon" (3 syllables, maximum for voice-first brand). "Warby Parker" (4 syllables, borderline).
Phonetic Conflicts
Brand name sounds like common word? Voice confusion. "Sew" (craft brand) vs "Sow" (farming) vs "So" (conjunction). Alexa doesn't know which. User intent unclear. Avoid homophones of common words.
Brand name sounds like competitor? "Reebok" vs "ReBox." Voice search returns both. User wanted Reebok, voice shows ReBox too. Phonetic similarity = search result pollution. Need distinct sound, not just distinct spelling.
The Category Collision
"Alexa, order pizza from..." = category name triggers category search, not brand. Brand name = "Pizza Perfect" → Voice hears "pizza...pizza perfect" → Confused. Don't include category in brand name for voice. "Domino's" not "Domino's Pizza" for voice clarity.
The Accent Challenge
US voice assistants trained on American English accent. British accent says "tomato" (tuh-mah-to), US says (tuh-may-to). Brand name "Tomato Fresh" = recognition fails across accents. Phonetically universal words only: "Apple," "Amazon," "Google."
Non-English names = high failure rate. "Xiaomi" (Shao-mee) mispronounced by US users as "Zee-oh-mee." Voice can't find brand. Requires spelling-out: "X-I-A-O-M-I." Defeats voice convenience. Rebrand for US: "Mi" (shorter, clearer).
Command Compatibility
Voice commands = action verbs. "Alexa, order from..." "Hey Google, buy..." "Siri, call..." Brand name that's also verb = conflict. "Order" (brand name) → "Alexa order from Order" = confusion loop.
Avoid: "Order," "Send," "Call," "Buy," "Search," "Find." These trigger assistant actions. Brand name = noun, not verb. "Uber" (noun) not "Drive" (verb). "Spotify" (noun) not "Play" (verb conflicts with command).
Smart Speaker Displays
Echo Show, Google Nest Hub = voice + screen. User says brand name, screen shows options. If pronunciation ambiguous, screen shows 5 similar brands. User picks (maybe wrong one). Voice-only (Echo Dot) = no screen fallback. Must nail pronunciation.
Strategy: Optimize for voice-only devices (strictest test). If works on Echo Dot, works on Echo Show. Reverse not true. Don't rely on screen to fix pronunciation ambiguity.
Voice Commerce Categories
Consumables = high voice reorder rate. "Alexa, reorder dog food" → Brand loyalty matters. Phonetically simple brand = default reorder. Complex brand = user switches to phonetically easier competitor. "Purina" (3 syllables, clear) vs "Natural Balance Ultra Premium" (9 syllables, nightmare).
Durable goods = low voice reorder. Furniture, electronics = research purchases, not voice impulse. Voice branding less critical. But voice search for info still matters: "Alexa, what's best laptop?" Brand names in results must be pronounceable.
The Trademark Loophole
USPTO trademark = spelling matters, not pronunciation. "Night" and "Knight" = separate trademarks (different spellings). But voice search conflates them. Phonetic trademark conflict ≠ legal trademark conflict. New risk dimension.
Check phonetic conflicts, not just spelling conflicts. "Blu" brand clear legally (no "Blue" trademark in category), but voice search shows "Blue" competitors anyway. Phonetic namespace ≠ trademark namespace.
Test Your Name
The Voice Assistant Test: Say "Hey Google, search for [brand name]" to 5 people. Correct brand appears? Pass. Wrong brand? Fail. The Accent Test: British, Indian, Australian friend says brand to Alexa. Works? Global voice-ready. Fails? US-only brand.
The Reorder Test: "Alexa, reorder [product] from [brand]." Single result? Winner. Multiple results? Phonetic conflict. The Syllable Test: 1-2 syllables = A, 3 syllables = B, 4+ syllables = F for voice commerce.
Trademark Lens can't test voice pronunciation (yet), but checks trademark conflicts for both exact spelling and phonetic variations, showing you if brand name clear in voice search or conflicts with sound-alike competitors.