"Alexa, order from FastShip." Alexa hears "Fast Chip," searches wrong brand. Phonetically similar names = voice assistant confusion. Brand name must be voice-friendly or lose voice commerce.
The Recognition Test
Speak brand name to Siri/Alexa/Google in noisy room. Correctly recognised? Voice-compatible. Misheard as similar word? Problematic. Test before finalising name.
Homophone Conflicts
"Wright & Co" vs "Right & Co." Voice assistants can't distinguish. Customer says "Order from Wright," gets "Right" instead. Competitor captures your voice traffic.
The Spelling Challenge
Voice assistant displays results. "Xhilaration" shows as "Zilaration" (phonetic spelling). Customer can't find real brand. Complex spelling = voice commerce death.
Wake Word Conflicts
Brand name "Alexa Solutions." Amazon's wake word = "Alexa." Constant false triggers. Similarly: "Hey Google" conflicts with "Google [YourBrand]." Avoid assistant wake words.
Accent Variation
American accent: "Tomato" = tuh-MAY-toe. British: tuh-MAH-toe. Voice assistants trained on multiple accents but imperfect. Test name across accents or face geographic gaps.
The Abbreviation Strategy
Legal name: "International Business Machines." Voice brand: "IBM." Spelled letters = unambiguous. "Order from I-B-M" always correct. Abbreviations = voice-friendly.
SEO Coordination
Voice search query: "Best running shoes." Brand name must appear in voice search results. Voice SEO ≠ text SEO. Conversational keywords required.
Trademark Lens checks legal availability but can't test voice assistant compatibility - record name with Siri/Alexa before trademark filing.