Each of us has some preferences about using certain letters or not in different brand names. Some people are “A” fans. Others simply hate the brand names which start with “A”. But have your ever asked yourself how are generally perceived certain letters in brand names?

From this article you will find out important information about:

• The impressions generated by the most used letters when they are used as starting letters of a brand name
• The impressions generated by the most used letters when they are used as ending letters of a brand name
• Hints about omitted letters and telescoped brand names

1. How to start a brand name?

First, we must tell you that what you will read further on are not unbreakable naming rules. They are only some information about the general connotations of the most used letters for starting a brand name. Maybe knowing them, it will help you to make the best naming decision.

The first letter of a brand name or the first group of letters are the most important ones. They dominate the entire word and name structure. Due to how they look, how they sound, each alphabet letter generates different connotations, emotions and impressions.

Examples:

• V – is a letter which suggests the idea of focused force, fullness and focused power
• Z – is one the fastest and most powerful letters in any language. Brand names which start with “Z’ have a more powerful and energic sound
• T – is a letter which connotes the idea of a stored energy. Used in words like “tense”, “terse”, “tough”, “technology”.
• B – is a letter which becomes slow to spell in almost any brand names. Denotes especially unfocused and directionless energy. Not recommended for very dynamic industries, for example for naming a new technological product
• P – strong consonant, connotes focused energy. Becomes more powerful when it is followed by “r”, as in “Prozac”.
• D, G – are consonants which vibrate the vocal cords. They can be related with products from the luxury goods area
• N- is a weaker consonant but has the advantage of being able to connote very well new age products
• R – one of the most powerful consonants. Suggests speed, force and energy
• W – the sound from this consonant is very dispersed. When you pronounce “w” you are feeling that its sound vanishes far away. You can associate its character with words like “whisper” and “wide”.
• A – brand names are at the top in almost every industry. In some cases, brand names starting with “A” tend to have a more feminine sound. Also, using “A” to start a brand name makes the entire word to sound longer than it really is.

2. How to end a brand name?

The second important letter used in a brand name is the last one. In Latin languages (mostly in Spanish and in Italian), the last letter or sometimes the last two letters have the task to decline a noun or indicate the gender of the word. For example: the difference between Paolo and Paola.

Ending a brand name with “O” or “US” tends to give to the entire naming construction a masculine personality. Ending a brand name with “A” tends to give birth to a feminine brand name. Ending a brand name with “UM” shares a neutral gender image upon a new product or brand.

Of course, these rules can be different in some countries. For example, in Japan if you end a brand name with “O”, you give it a feminine connotation and if you end it with “A” the obtained result is a masculine connotation.

In some cases, the significance of a letter used at the beginning of the name is different than the significance of the letter at the end of the brand name. For example, in the case of “W”, at the beginning of a word it suggests a wide vision and spread. At the end of the word, “w” becomes silent, almost inexistent as in “low”, “pillow”.

3. Omitted letters and telescoped brand names

Even if it sounds strange, many brand names are empowered by omitting letters. For instance, in the case of the brand names which are formed by two different words, if the last letter of the first word is the same with the first letter from the second word, the two words can be joined is just one word creating a more unitary and homogeneous brand name. An example is Eveready. This kind of combination is known as “telescopic brand name” because they are comprised of two joined words which share letters.

They can be joined in many ways as:

• Eliminate letters from both words as in Twix (two sticks) or Novartis (“novae artes” meaning new skills in Latin)
• Omitting letters with the purpose of finding a new spelling which gives an advantage to the brand. Example: Nvidia. The vowel omission here has a very interesting objective. Navidia would have a nautical connotation, Novidia can express “no vision” or “no video” which would have been a catastrophe for the brand and Nividia would have a too similar sound with Nivea.

Studying phonetics and letter combinations can be a fascinating science. You learn a lot about how some letters combinations can be perceived by your audience and you can avoid some important naming mistakes. If you need help with your next naming project, we are here for you!