Despite the legendary dragon Pokemon’s popularity, a large number of Pokemon fans are going around pronouncing Rayquaza’s name wrong–and The Pokemon Company is trying to teach us how it’s actually said.
If you use the common pronunciation of ray-KWAH-zuh, you would be incorrect according to official sources. A reminder of this–and the correct pronunciation–was popped up on the big screen at the Pokemon World Championships 2025 over the weekend, IGN reports. According to the “mispronounced Pokemon” graphic shared by The Pokemon Company, the correct pronunciation is ray-KWAY-zuh, sounding closer to the word quasar.
While some fans reacted with shock to the official pronunciation, others flat-out refuse to adopt it. The iconic legendary has been around for a long time, making its first appearance in 2002’s Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, before becoming the mascot Pokemon for Pokemon Emerald two years later. Having been a part of the series for over two decades, it’s no wonder players would refuse to change how they’ve been pronouncing Rayquaza all this time.
Of course, some fans on social media point out that they already use the correct pronunciation, which is used more often than not in Rayquaza’s infrequent but memorable appearances in the Pokemon anime.
The next big Pokemon release is Pokemon Legends: Z-A, and while the game has more of a focus on Mega Evolutions as part of its major combat shakeup, it’s not clear if fan-favorite Mega Rayquaza will be making an appearance.
