Sound Symbolism Letter Selection
Choose a name's letters for the feelings their sounds evoke, not just their meaning.
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 88%
Lexicon treats each of the 26 letters as sending a signal — a vibration or experience — independent of semantic meaning. Before generating names they set sound priorities from the desired experience (noisy, alive, reliable), then bias generation toward letters that carry those qualities. V is the most alive/vibrant sound, B among the most reliable, Z and S are noisy, X is fast and crisp. Names are also balanced so a strong 'noisy' signal cuts through a competitive market.
Origin
Built on the academic field of sound symbolism, extended by Lexicon's own R&D and partnerships with Stanford, MIT and Berkeley linguists over four decades; articulated here by David Placek.
Core principles
- 01Each letter emits a consistent signal across cultures, with some exceptions
- 02Set sound priorities from the target experience before generating names
- 03Balance noise and smoothness so the name is a strong but not grating signal
- 04Both sound symbolism and semantic value of a letter matter (e.g. X = fast sound AND innovation meaning)
- 05Processing fluency: keep names easy for a 'lazy' brain to process so it leans in
How to run it
- 1
Translate the desired experience into sounds
From the creative framework, name the qualities the brand should evoke and convert them into sound targets — e.g. 'what are the sounds of reliability? what are the sounds of aliveness?'
- 2
Set letter priorities
Choose letters whose signals match the targets. For a noisy, attention-grabbing name prioritize S, Z, or V; for reliability lean on B; for speed/innovation use X. Let this 'engineering layer' float up to guide the creative teams.
Pro tip A strong signal generated by 'noise' (a Z, S, or V) helps a name cut through a busy competitive market.
Watch out Letter signals hold across cultures but have exceptions — validate internationally rather than assuming universality.
- 3
Balance the word and check fluency
Assemble the name so noisy and smooth elements are balanced (Azure: opening A, noisy Z, smooth flowing ending). Keep the whole easy to process so the brain leans in rather than walking past.
Pro tip Combine sound symbolism with the letter's semantic associations for reinforcement (X reads as fast in sound and as innovation in meaning).
Watch out Complicated, hard-to-process names are a liability — the lazy brain skips them.
In the wild
The founder thought Lexicon was crazy presenting BlackBerry. Lexicon's rationale: 'black' colors technology, and the two B's exploit B being one of the most reliable sounds in the alphabet, plus the compound structure. That got people to lean forward and consider rather than reject too fast.
→ BlackBerry became an iconic brand; the sound rationale turned initial rejection into consideration.
Azure was presented on its linguistic qualities — a noisy Z, an opening A, and a smooth flowing ending — creating a strong but balanced signal suited to a crowded market, rather than on the literal 'blue/cloud' link alone.
→ Adopted by Microsoft and grew into a roughly hundred-billion-dollar brand.
Common mistakes
Choosing letters only for meaning, ignoring sound
A name's letters carry emotional signals independent of semantics; picking purely on meaning wastes the vibrancy (V), reliability (B), or noise (Z/S) that makes a name feel right and cut through.
Building a complicated, hard-to-process name
Cognitive science says brains are lazy and avoid complexity; a name that isn't fluent is a liability because the busy brain simply walks past it instead of leaning in.
Is it for you?
Best for
Namers and marketers refining a shortlist who want to bias sound toward a target emotional experience.
Not ideal for
Anyone needing a purely functional descriptor, or teams unwilling to validate letter/sound connotations across the languages they'll operate in.
From the transcript
“what are the sounds of the 26 letters of the alphabet and what do they do? How do they evoke things?”
“V from our research that we've done is (46:30) the most alive and vibrant sound in the English alphabet”
“the sound of the letter B is is one of the most reliable sounds in the English alphabet”
“X is about innovation from from aircraft to computers”
“our brains are a little bit on the lazy side”
From the episode
Naming expert shares the process behind creating billion-dollar brand names like Azure, Vercel, Windsurf, Sonos, Blackberry, and Impossible Burger
David Placek (Lexicon Branding)