Eevee’s evolutions: a guide for the crossword

Eevee is the Pokémon with the most different evolutions: eight, one for each type it can take. In the crossword that makes nine names that look alike, most of them seven letters long and almost all ending in “-eon”. Here is how to tell them apart.

Eevee, the starting point

Eevee (5 letters) is a Normal type and number 133, from the first generation. It is a base form, and what makes it special is that it does not have just one evolution: it becomes one of the eight Pokémon below depending on how you raise it. Fans call the group “Eeveelutions”, a name coined by players rather than used in the games.

If a clue says “has many different evolutions” and the answer has five letters, it is almost always Eevee.

The first three: the Kanto stones

In the first generation Eevee evolves with an evolution stone, and each stone gives a type:

Vaporeon (8 letters), Water type, with a Water Stone;
Jolteon (7), Electric type, with a Thunder Stone;
Flareon (7), Fire type, with a Fire Stone.

Vaporeon is the only eight-letter name in the whole group: if the answer is one square longer than the others, you already have it.

Day and night: Espeon and Umbreon

The second generation adds two evolutions tied to friendship with the trainer and the time of day:

Espeon (6), Psychic type, with high friendship during the day;
Umbreon (7), Dark type, with high friendship at night.

Espeon is the only six-letter name. Umbreon is easy to remember by its type: “umbra” is Latin for shadow, and Dark is its element.

Leaf and ice: Leafeon and Glaceon

The fourth generation brings two evolutions tied to a place: Eevee had to level up near a special rock. Since the eighth generation two new stones work too.

Leafeon (7), Grass type, now also with a Leaf Stone;
Glaceon (7), Ice type, now also with an Ice Stone.

The names give it away: “leaf” for Grass, “glacier” for Ice.

The latest: Sylveon

Sylveon (7) is a Fairy type, the type introduced in the sixth generation. You get it through a strong bond with the trainer, once Eevee knows a Fairy-type move. It is the most recent evolution: none have been added since the sixth generation.

How to use them in the crossword

Six of the nine names have seven letters, so length alone is not enough. This is the order worth reasoning in:

The type. Each evolution has a single type, all different: if the clue names it, there is only one answer. To revise the types there is the type chart.
The length. Five letters is Eevee, six is Espeon, eight is Vaporeon. The other six all have seven.
The crossing letters. Among the seven-letter names the first letter is always different (J, F, U, L, G, S): one letter at the start is enough.
The generation. If the clue mentions Kanto, choose between Vaporeon, Jolteon and Flareon; for the other generations there is the guide to the regions.

All eight end in “-eon”: if you have the last three squares, you know you are looking for an Eevee evolution.

A group worth learning

Nine names, eight different types and one simple rule about the ending: Eevee’s evolutions are among the easiest answers to unlock once you know them. For the general rules on how Pokémon evolve there is the evolutions guide. Then try today’s crossword.